


Christmas Stories with the Doctor and Donna

by RainGirl9



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-09 05:32:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 47,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12881202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainGirl9/pseuds/RainGirl9
Summary: A series of unconnected Ten/Donna short stories, all featuring Christmas in one way or another. This series is dedicated and gifted to the wonderful Basmathgirl.





	1. Christmas Planet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Basmathgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basmathgirl/gifts).



> This is my first ever fic posted to AO3, so I'm a bit unsure about how the tags and things work. I hope what I've put is okay, because these stories cover a wide variety of different topics.
> 
> This series of short stories is gifted and dedicated to the wonderful Basmathgirl for Christmas. I hope you enjoy it and have a very Merry Christmas! Thank you for being such a fantastically kind person, and for providing us all with so much high quality Doctor/Donna fanfic over the years. I count you among my favorite authors of all!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

"Donna!" the Doctor cried.

A jolt of panic shot through Donna at his shout. She dropped her mug of hot cocoa onto the table and turned away from the lovely couple that she had been conversing with. She ignored the woman's indignant sound of protest, knowing that she had to get to the Doctor immediately.

She spotted him standing in the doorway and pushed through the crowd of costumed partiers to get to him. He looked okay at first glance, but as she drew closer, she could see that his cheeks were flushed and his forehead was beaded with sweat. Her heart leapt into her throat. Had he been poisoned again?

"Come on," she said, taking his hand. It was cold and clammy, so she tightened her grip to stop his fingers from slipping free from hers. "Let's go back to the TARDIS and see what we can do to help you."

She needed to get him away from the crowd and the pounding Christmas music. She should have known that coming to Christmas Planet was a bad idea. She tugged on his hand, trying to get him to move, but he seemed frozen to the spot.

"Come on. What's wrong with you? We need to get out of here." She tugged again, harder this time and managed to make him lose his balance, but he still wouldn't go with her.

"Donna," he said again, softer this time.

"What? What is it?"

"Look up."

She did as he said, and she noticed a small sprig of mistletoe hanging above their heads. Her stomach dropped. "Oh, are you allergic? Come on, we've really got to get you out of here. Do you have one of those pen things?" Her mind was too scrambled to remember what they were called.

For the first time since she had approached him, the Doctor looked at her. "I'm not allergic."

She heaved a sigh. "So why are you standing here like a lump then? Can you tell me what is actually wrong with you?"

"I'm standing underneath mistletoe. That means I have to kiss someone."

Donna rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, that's just a silly old tradition, Doctor, and it doesn't quite work that way. You don't have to stand there waiting for someone to come along and kiss you."

"I know," he said. His voice was barely audible over the music, forcing Donna to lean closer to him to understand. "But maybe I want to."

"I was really worried about you, you know," Donna chastised him. "I thought something terrible had happened to you. You could have caused me a heart attack just because you want to be kissed."

"Oh, I'm sorry I scared you. I really didn't mean to," he said, his shoulders sinking. He rubbed the back of his neck and took a few steps away from her. "You know what, never mind the mistletoe. Would you like some more candy cane cocoa? Or we could enter the gingerbread house decorating contest?"

Donna instantly regretted her words and wanted to kick herself for ruining his fun. How could he ever recover from that nightmarish trip on Midnight if she stomped on all of his plans? "No, no, you stay right there. I saw a pretty blonde looking at your bum earlier. Maybe I could send her your way." At the time, she'd had half a mind to slap the woman for ogling him like that, but she would do whatever it took to help the Doctor recover.

But the Doctor just shook his head. "No, thanks. Why would I want a pretty blonde when there's a beautiful ginger standing right in front of me?"

It was if all of the air had been sucked out of the room. "What?" she rasped. "You mean you want to kiss me? Oh, come off it." She studied her shoes, doing her best to resist the urge to look behind her and see if there was another ginger woman around.

The Doctor gently took hold of her chin, encouraging her to look at him. "I do mean you, Donna Noble." His eyes were full of warmth for her. "You're under the mistletoe too, remember. So why don't we partake in an old tradition?"

Donna couldn't breathe with him looking at her like that. It took all of her willpower to give a tiny nod of consent. Her heart sped as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to him, still searching her eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers until she could smell the peppermint scent of his breath. She knew he was waiting for her to close the gap between them, so she shut her eyes and leaned in just a bit more until her lips met his. It was just a shy, chaste kiss, but Donna felt weak in the knees at the feel of his soft lips against hers. Tears came to her eyes and she blinked them away, trying her best to hold back all of the feelings that wanted to pour from her. He was only interested in trying out the tradition, and the kiss didn't mean anything to him. Even if he had called her beautiful. Even though he was still holding her close and his hand was stroking her back in an almost intimate way.

"What a sweet couple!" someone called, and Donna looked over to see a young woman dressed up as a reindeer watching them. "I wish my husband was as into the spirit as you two are. He hasn't left the bar since we got here." Suddenly, she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to ruin your moment." She scurried off and disappeared into the crowd.

Donna turned back to face the Doctor, forcing herself to speak. "I really don't know why everyone always thinks we're a couple."

"Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something," he mused.

"We don't have invisible mistletoe permanently floating above our heads, do we?" she joked.

"Maybe not, but you've certainly got hold of my hearts," the Doctor said, again speaking quietly. The flush was back on his cheeks, this time spreading to his ears and down his neck.

"I what?" She'd heard him just fine, but she couldn't believe him no matter how much she wanted to.

"I'm trying to say that I love you, Donna," he said, louder this time. "I thought I… I've been trying to decide how to tell you. I realized on that bus, that doomed bus, that I was going to die, and all I wanted was for you to be there to hold me." He swallowed thickly. "I don't want to lose you, and I know that I will one day no matter what I do, so I tried not to fall, but it's far too late for that now, and I don't want to keep lying to myself anymore. I love you, and I want you, and I need you. But you're not saying anything. Please say something." He paused for a second to take a breath, and then opened his mouth again to keep going. "If you d-"

Donna pressed her finger to his mouth as a deep sense of calmness came over her. She could hear the honesty in his words and feel the way he trembled slightly against her, and she finally let herself believe. "Shh, you've got to stop talking if you want me to say something."

"Sorry," he murmured, his voice muffled by her finger.

She leaned close to his ear, almost nuzzling against his neck. She kissed the freckle behind his ear and felt his breath hitch. "I love you too, Doctor," she whispered, not wanting to leave him feeling unsure for any longer. "I need and want you, but I never thought that I'd actually get you."

"Oh, my brilliant Donna Noble," he breathed, almost sagging against her in relief. "You've got me."

"TARDIS?" she asked.

"TARDIS," he agreed.

They broke apart and found each other's hand, clinging to each other. Christmas Planet was already forgotten as they left the gingerbread house behind, crossed the snowflake bridge, walked back through the peppermint forest, and set off on a brand new adventure as a couple.


	2. Christmas in Jail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Donna spend Christmas in a jail cell, and then exchange gifts.

"And so this is Christmas," Donna said as she lowered herself to the floor next to the Doctor. "A jail cell and cold porridge."

"You'd think they could have at least given us a cell with a bed. I really am sorry, you know," the Doctor said for at least the hundredth time since they had been arrested for picking flowers. In the five hours since, they had been paraded around town with their hands tied together, interrogated by the police, and then dumped into the cell.

"Say that one more time, Martian, and my head will explode into a million tiny pieces," she threatened. She was so sick of his stupid apologies, especially because he had no reason to be sorry. She could only remind herself of his guilty conscience and need to protect her so many times.

"Sor-oh no. I mean, um, I apologize," he mumbled, looking sheepish.

"Argh! Stop." Donna gently punched him in the arm. "Just stop."

"Ow." He rubbed his arm. "Someone's not going to be on the nice list this year."

Donna snorted. "Well, neither is the man who ate my last packet of chocolate biscuits."

"I told you that I would replace them," he reminded her. "Maybe that's what I got you for Christmas." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, great, my special prsent is a replacement packet of biscuits." She rolled her eyes. "How thoughtful of you."

"Well, if you don't want them…" He began to dig around in his pocket and soon pulled out the biscuits in question. "More for me. They took the sonic but left these. Strange, right?"

Donna snatched the packet from his hands and tore them open. "You didn't even bother to wrap them?" That stung. Of course she didn't expect anything from him, but...still. All of his bragging about getting her an extra special Christmas present had made her excited to find out what it was.

"I didn't say they actually were your present. I only said maybe," he said, and threw back his head and laughed. "Your face! I'm surprised you didn't slap me!"

Donna chuckled despite herself. "You know what I just said about not apologizing anymore? I take that back. Go on, say it."

"No way, I'm not risking being punched again."

"I'll share my biscuits if you behave."

"Sorry," he said immediately, and held out his hand, grinning.

Donna smiled back as she gave him a biscuit. "I guess they're going to have to be our Christmas dinner this year. Well, them and the porridge." Neither of them had even bothered to taste it.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he agreed. "But don't worry, we'll go to your family's house as soon as we get out of here. Just think, before you know it, we'll be eating turkey and exchanging presents."

"I hope so. Mum would have loved the flowers." She sighed. They had picked armfuls of silver lilies and arranged them into a bouquet to bring to her for Christmas. How were they supposed to know that the lilies were endangered? They only seemed to be growing everywhere! "When do you think they'll let us out of here?" she asked.

"As soon as they actually accept the fact that we're off-worlders and not familiar with the local flora, I hope." He shrugged. "Worst case scenario, they'll try to hang us in the morning. But don't worry - I won't let them hurt you."

"Right. Well, Happy Christmas," Donna said, before she took a bite of her biscuit. She sat the packet down and gestured for him to help himself.

"Happy Christmas," the Doctor echoed.

Silence fell over them as they ate, the biscuits disappearing quickly between the two of them. After that, the Doctor spread one of their meager blankets out on the hard ground floor and lied down, gesturing for Donna to join him. She did as he asked, stretching out beside him, and they used the other blanket to cover up.

"Might as well make ourselves a bit more comfortable, right?" he asked. "Maybe we can get some sleep so that we can be ready for whatever tomorrow brings."

"Yeah," Donna agreed. She rested her head on his arm and closed her eyes, but she soon found that sleep wouldn't come. Hours passed, unless they were only minutes. The floor was hard and cold under her body, and the silence was stifling. Unable to bear it any longer, she began humming quietly under her breath, hoping that she wouldn't disturb the Doctor.

"Jingle Bells?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm. Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't. I'm too uncomfortable to sleep." He started humming along with her, and soon they had made it through all of the Christmas carols that Donna knew. The Doctor hummed alone for a while, sharing both long-forgotten and futuristic songs as well as some alien ones, and then he looped back into familiar Earth songs so that Donna could join in again. But she was finally starting to grow tired, and the soothing sound of his voice was like a lullaby. She wondered if he could sing well. Probably, she decided. Maybe she would ask him later. When he began rubbing her back, she was done for. She hummed a soft, contented sound, and closed her eyes.

"What is that infernal racket?" a deep voice demanded, and Donna jumped as she was pulled from the cusp of sleep. One of the prison guards appeared outside their cell door, a tall, green man with all sorts of silver markings on his skin that looked like moving tattoos. He made a guttural sound that might have been a groan of disgust. "Is that your mating song? And are you...? Oh, how horrid! Stop that nonsense right now. Break apart. The female must come with me if you cannot behave yourselves."

Donna felt her face turned red. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said.

"Yes, you are," the Doctor whispered, as he stood up and offered her his hand. "He's got a limp. We'll be able to push past him and run." Donna kept hold of his hand as she stood, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

It was surprisingly easy to dodge the guard as they scampered out of the cell. The Doctor grabbed his sonic from the guard's desk and tugged her after him as they made a break for the door. The guard was shouting behind them, but they payed him no mind as they ran.

They made it back to the TARDIS in record time and stood clutching each other and panting in the console room. Only after the Doctor put them into the vortex did they relax, collapsing onto the jump seat together in a heap.

"Ready to go to see your family?" the Doctor asked, after they had had a few minutes to rest.

Donna wanted to go, but she was completely exhausted, and despite his chipper tone, she knew the Doctor was too. With a heavy heart, she turned to face him. "Do you think we could put off going for right now? My legs are killing me, and I really need to get some sleep."

"Of course, if that's what you want. Today was pretty rough." He touched her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "But would you mind if I give you your present before we go to bed? The real one, I mean."

She nodded, finding a tiny reserve of energy deep within herself. "Let's go to the library, and I'll give you mine too."

As they entered the library, a fire roared to life in the fireplace, and the decorated Christmas tree next to it lit up in shades of red and silver. Donna smiled despite herself, still loving the cheery decorations that the TARDIS had created for them. She picked up her present for the Doctor from under the tree and sat down on the sofa beside him.

"I want to save yours for last," he said, as he turned towards her, his knees brushing against hers.

She wanted to tease him, but he had been so excited to give her the present that she couldn't bear to burst his bubble. "Here you go," she said, as she handed him his present.

He unwrapped it carefully and slowly, making sure not to tear the wrapping paper as he peeled away the tape. Donna couldn't help but smile as affection for her friend filled her. He never failed to surprise her.

When he finally managed to remove enough of the paper to slip the box inside out, he broke into a grin. "It's the TARDIS pyjamas! Oh, Donna, you're brilliant!" He hugged her tightly and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

He had seen the police box pyjama set while they'd been out shopping, but they had been out of his size at the time. Donna had managed to call and place an order, and she'd even spent just enough on them to get free shipping all the way to her family's house on Earth.

The Doctor insisted on going to change into them immediately, and Donna was left to wait, wondering he was dragging this out on purpose. She wouldn't put it past him.

When he finally returned, he was grinning from ear to ear and carrying a small wrapped box. "Here you go," he said, softly, as he held the box out to her. She was pleased to see that the pyjamas were a perfect fit for his lanky form.

She took the box and turned it around in her hands, inspecting it closely. It was roughly the size and shape needed to hold a ring box, and her heart skipped a beat at the thought. Why would he get her a ring? Could he possibly…?

She was tempted to follow his lead and unwrap it slowly, but she couldn't stand to wait any longer. Instead, she tore into it eagerly and was only half-surprised to find what appeared to be a ring box inside. "Oh, Doctor," she said, softly.

"Go on, open it," he encouraged.

She opened the lid and found a rock nestled among tissue paper. Not a rock as in a diamond ring or another piece of jewelry, but just a simple, plain brown rock. She looked up at the Doctor, who was eagerly awaiting her response. "It's...nice?" she managed to say. And if rocks could be nice, it was. It was smooth, flat and perfectly round, but it was still just a rock.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"Is it not a rock?"

"Oh, it most definitely is a rock, but it's not just any old ordinary rock. It's a heart stone from the planet Wogge. They're also known as memory stones because people give them as gifts to those who they have shared important life experiences with. It's a way to tell someone that they're important to you, and to say that you'll never forget them." He smiled at her. "They're especially popular to give as wedding gifts. But the best thing about heart stones is what they do when the receiver picks them up."

The Doctor really was sweet when he wanted to be, and Donna was pleased with the thought that he had put into her gift even if it wasn't quite what she had expected. She reached to pick up the rock, but immediately dropped it when it flashed a bright pink. "What?" She carefully picked it up again, and this time she didn't drop it. The rock shimmered and shone as she held it, looking for all the world like a tiny, flat pink disco ball. "Oh, it's beautiful," she said, and felt tears come to her eyes.

"I want you to know that I'll never forget you for as long as I live, Donna," he said. "I know you doubt it sometimes, but you are very, very special and important to me."

Donna stood to hug him, no longer holding back her tears. "I'll never forget you either. How could I?"

He held her close for a long while, soaking up the hug. When they finally broke apart he asked, "Did you read the little paper in the lid?"

She turned to do just that, and found a list of what the different colors meant. She gasped aloud when she got to pink. "You're asking me out on a date?"

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "What would you say if I were?"

"I'd say yes, of course," she said, and beamed at him, moving in for another hug.

He grinned back as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well, in that case, yes, I am asking."

"And I'm saying yes." She giggled. "And do you know what else? I'm wide awake now, so we can go for Christmas dinner. That is, if you feel up to it?"

"Oh, I do!" he said. "Shall we attend as a couple?"

"I think we shall," she said.

And they did.


	3. The Telemarketer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is an AU that assumes "The End of Time" didn't happen and isn't going to.
> 
> Big thanks to BMG for helping me out with some of the details! I hope you like it!

Donna answered her mobile reluctantly, hoping that the unknown number wouldn’t be someone she’d regret speaking to. “Hello?”

“Hello!” a cheerful male voice replied. “My name is John Smith and I’m calling today to ask if you would be interested in taking an anonymous survey about your health over the past six months. This call will be recorded for training purposes, and your answers may be used for research. This survey is completely confidential and will take approximately twenty minutes to complete...”

Donna pulled her mobile away from her ear and stared at it in disgust. If this John guy thought it was a good idea to scam her for a survey, he had another thing coming. "Where did you get this number?" she demanded.

There was a second of hesitation. "I'm calling from...UNIT, um, Charity Group."

“I’m not interested,” she said firmly. Her finger hovered over the end button, ready to press it and get on with her day.

“Wait, wait, please don’t go!” the man begged. His voice went high and squeaky, losing much of its cheeriness. “How about just a few basic health questions? Ten? Five? Three?"

“What, so it’s a choose-your-own-survey?” 

“Right. Yes. That’s it exactly!”

"I’m still not interested.” Donna hung up and shoved her mobile back into her pocket, unable to hold back a laugh at the man. Either twenty minutes or three questions? Some survey.

She grabbed her bag and smoothed down her shirt before she headed out the door. She had a date with Shaun, and she didn’t want to be late.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna was in the middle of dinner with Shaun when her mobile rang again. “Sorry. Do you mind if I take this?” she asked, gesturing at her handbag.

Shaun shook his head. “No, go ahead.”

She dug out her mobile and he answered it quietly. “Hello?”

“Hello! Please don’t hang up this time. This is John Smith again. I contacted you earlier about a health sur--”

“Yes, you did, and I said I'm not interested. Take my number off your cold calling list.” Donna hung up and tossed her mobile back into her handbag, gritting her teeth.

“Who was that?” Shaun asked.

“It’s just a telemarketer. He called earlier, too.” She rolled her eyes and picked up her fork, ready to get back to her meal.

“Oh. Don’t you hate them?” Shaun sympathized.

“Yeah. This one’s after me about my health.” She snorted. “I’m sure he really wants to hear about migraines and insomnia, right? Or maybe memory loss and fatigue is more his cup of tea.”

“They make good money off people like you and me,” Shaun said, lowering his voice as he leaned in closer to her. “Just last month, one of them tricked my Gran into giving over control of her computer. They wanted a ridiculous sum to unlock it, and she was planning to give it to them until I intervened. Can you believe that?" 

"But she could have lost everything," Donna said, alarmed, thinking of all of the important information she kept on her laptop.

"Do you think they care about that? They just want your money. They'll say anything to get you to open your purse."

“You're right,” Donna agreed. “I hope this one gets the message and leaves me alone now.”

"Well, you could always try to bore him to death. I know how you like to go on and on about what happened to you," Shaun said, with a laugh. “Sometimes it seems like you’ll never stop. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Just teasing you a bit.”

Donna’s stomach twisted at his words. Did she really talk about it that much? Enough that it bothered those closest to her? “Maybe,” she said, softly.

They finished their meals in silence, and then she invited Shaun back to her house to meet her mum. She hated to admit it, but she had certain needs that just weren’t being met. They had been dating for nearly five months now, but he wasn't interested in anything more than a casual relationship. No commitment. She wanted to move forward into something more serious, but she was starting to feel ridiculous asking for the same things over and over and getting the same response.

“Thanks, but I can’t come over tonight,” he said. “I’ve got things to do at home.”

“Things. Right.” Donna nodded and forced a smile. “Okay. Well, I’ll see you later then.”

“Yeah, definitely.” He stood to hug her goodbye.

Donna hugged him back and accepted his offer to walk her to her car. At least he cared that she was safe. That was better than nothing.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The drive home was almost desperately lonely. Donna was still wide awake and wanted to go out and do something, but there wasn’t anything to do. She didn't really have any friends anymore. The head injury that had taken two years of her memories and left her with crippling migraines and insomnia had made drinking with Nerys and Veena potentially dangerous thanks to the medication she was on. Besides that, she just didn’t have the energy to go shopping or do very much of anything anymore. Her injury had taken so much from her, and her old friends weren’t interested in spending time with someone who wasn’t any fun. She told them she understood, but it still hurt to be left out. They didn't even bother to invite her anymore.

So, it was going to be her and a packet of crisps on the sofa again. Her nightly routine wasn’t doing her waistline any favors, but at least it gave her something to do. She’d catch up on her reality TV programs and gossip about them with her mum.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna was in bed and halfway asleep when John called again. She recognized his number this time, but something compelled her to answer it despite the late hour. "Do you know what time it is?" she ground out.

"Erm, yeah, it’s…” He paused. “Oh. It’s late, isn’t it?" he said, as if it really hadn't occurred to him. "I’m sorry. Were you asleep?"

"I’m sure you don’t care about that, Mr Medical Survey."

“No, I do. Really,” he said, and he actually sounded sincere. “I can call back at a better time if you'd like me to. It's not a problem."

"Oh, right. 'Cause you listened so well when I told you to take my number off your cold calling list."

To her surprise, he laughed. A real, honest laugh. "That’s true, but I really can call back later. Should I?"

"No."

"So..." he dragged the word out into a yawn. "Survey, yes or no?"

"I'm guessing it's late where you are too. Don’t get much sleep?" Donna asked, deciding that she could pick on him a bit for calling so late.

John went quiet for a few seconds, and then he said, "No. Not nearly as much as I should."

She hadn't expected that. "Oh. That probably explains…” 

“Why I’m calling you in the middle of the night and didn't even realize even it?”

“Yeah.” She glanced at her alarm clock, which was quietly ticking away on her nightstand. “I don’t get much sleep either. Nightmares.”

"Me too,” he said, quietly. “Almost every night."

Donna sighed, already sure she was going to regret what she was about to say. "Look, I don't want to be on here for twenty minutes, but if you can keep it short, say, five questions max, I'll do your survey. If there’s still a choose-your-own option, that is."

"Of course there is. Just for you.”

"And I'm not going to let you off the hook. Ask a question, answer a question." She wasn't sure what made her say that, but there was something about this man’s voice. She liked it. It almost sounded familiar, and she wanted him to keep talking so that she could try to place it.

"Okay," he agreed easily.

"Okay. Fire away." She closed her eyes and let her head sink further into her pillow. She was exhausted and feeling stiff and achy all over, but despite that, there was a tiny seed of excitement building in her chest. She'd never come across a telemarketer quite like this one before. Who knew what was going to happen?

"Would you like to give me a name to use, first?" John asked. "Just make something up, if you like, but don’t bother if you’ll count it as a question. I’ll just call you Survey Participant Fifty-Three."

“Donna," she said, automatically. Her name was common enough that it didn't really matter.

"Donna." He said her name warmly, like it was a mouthful of buttery bread. "Donna. Donnnaaa."

"Yeah, that's me."

"Hello, Donna.”

She smirked. “Hello, John. Now get to your questions.”

He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll do that,” he said. “You mentioned that you have a hard time sleeping. Do you have any other major health problems or concerns at the moment?"

"Well, I was in a car accident six months ago,” she said.

"A car accident?"

"Yeah. I, um, don't remember it, but apparently I hit my head and ended up with a mild brain injury.” She waited for a response, but when all she got was a soft intake of breath, she went on. “Well, they say it’s mild. Can’t even see the damage on an MRI scan, but I don’t remember the two years before the accident, and I've had insomnia and these terrible migraines ever since." She said it matter of factly, the way she had perfected over the months in her conversations with numerous doctors and concerned acquaintances.

"I'm so very sorry to hear that," John said, his voice going soft. “That must be very hard to live with.”

"Oh… It can be," Donna said, unwilling to admit just how hard it was. Except no one had ever really said anything so sympathetic to her before. Her mum and Gramps mostly refused to talk about what had happened, and almost seemed to expect her to go on as if nothing had happened at all. Evan Shaun thought she should have put it all behind her already. No one would let her talk about it for any length of time. "I think the memory loss is the worst part,” she admitted.

“Why is that?” John asked. “Second question.”

“Are you writing all of this down?” she asked, trying to decide whether to filter herself or not.

“No, I’m not. I’m only recording the medical bare basics, no personal details. I've got down insomnia, nightmares, brain injury, amnesia, migraines. Exactly like that."

She nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “Okay."

"So, what is it about the memory loss that makes it the worst?" he asked, gently prodding her to continue.

"Well, I guess…” She paused to think. “I just can’t help but wonder what happened during those years. What did I do? Where did I go? Who did I meet? There are so many unanswered questions, so much time that I lost. It seemed impossible to go on when I first found out." She sighed. "My mum said they were completely boring, average years, but I can't help but think maybe… Really, it’s stupid, but maybe I…"

"Did something amazing?" John guessed.

"Well, yeah.” Donna swallowed hard as a lump formed in her throat. “Oh, I’m completely bonkers, aren’t I?" 

“No, you’re not. Not at all,” John assured her. “Why would you think that?”

“Because it’s what everyone says. Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened. But it feels like something did, something so big. But I can't remember what it is, and they all say I'm wrong.” Donna sniffled as tears stung her eyes, suddenly overcome with the same old emotions she’d confronted a hundred times in the last six months. “I know I didn’t lie in bed and stare at the ceiling for two years, you know?”

"No, you didn't do that," he agreed. "Have you tried to talk to anyone else about this? Maybe friends or coworkers you knew before the accident, or even a counselor?"

"See, that's the thing. My friends all said the same things as my mum and Gramps. Nothing happened and I've been here all along, normal old life." She bit her bottom lip, desperate to hold back the sobs that wanted to tear their way out. “Except no one has any photos of me during those years. Not a single one. And I've got none of the money in my bank account that I should have earned from working. There's just a bit of added interest.”

“Hmm. That is really strange.”

"You think so?" 

“Oh, yes. Very strange indeed,” he said, his voice soft and thoughtful. “You’d think there would be lots of evidence from you living those years.”

Donna’s tears increased at his reaffirming tone. No one had ever agreed with her before, but instead they all treated her as though she were too dense to recognize the facts that were staring her right in the face. She lost control before she could say anything else, tears spilling out even as she fought to hold them in. The result was a loud hiccuping sob that tore through her chest and made her throat burn.

“Oh, Donna. I’m so sorry," John said. “I didn’t mean to make you cry."

"S'okay," she mumbled, her whole face burning with shame. Thank goodness he couldn’t see her.

"Here, why don’t you ask me a question now? Take a break from talking about these things."

“Okay.” Donna took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped her eyes, trying to regain some degree of control over herself. She asked the simplest question that came to mind. “How did you become a telemarketer?”

“Hmm.” He paused. “I guess I’ve always had a big gob, so I thought it would be a good fit.”

"Oh."

"Yeah. I can talk, me,” he continued. “You should hear me when I really get started on something. I practically never shut up. I can go on for hours and hours, just talking and talking and talking. To myself, even, if I can't find an audience. On and on and on. Rattling away. Babbling. Rambling, even. I'm a proper chatterbox."

Donna chuckled through her tears, finding the way he said the same thing over and over again amusing.

"So telemarketing called my name, more or less," he finished.

“I see,” Donna said.

“And the pay’s not bad, either,” he added, like it was an afterthought.

Donna chuckled. “It isn’t?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, it’s decent,” he said. “Well, it’s enough for me to get by on, anyway.”

“What, no wife or kids?” Donna asked. 

“No. It’s just me,” he said, sadly. “I used to have someone, but she’s gone now.”

“Oh. Well, I’m very sorry to hear that,” Donna said, touched by the sadness in his voice and his continuing willingness to play along and answer her questions. 

“It’s hard, sometimes,” he admitted, softly. “I turn around and start talking to her, but she’s not there, or I reach for her hand and grab the air. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever stop, or if I’ll ever feel whole without her again.”

“I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but you will, eventually,” Donna assured him. She licked her lips, trying to decide whether to volunteer more information or not. “I, um, had a fiance before my accident. The last I remember, we were planning our wedding, but apparently he ran off and left me at the altar. And I don’t remember any of it. No one’s seen him since. I didn’t even believe them at first, you know? We were so completely in love with each other, and yet I'm supposed to believe that he got cold feet? It just doesn't make any sense. Anyway, it took me ages to stop looking over my shoulder for him, and I think I must have texted his mobile at least two dozen times by mistake.” She paused before adding, “I know my situation is different from yours, but it gets easier as time passes, it really does. You'll never stop missing her, but I want you to know that one day it won't hurt so much. You've just got to hang in there.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” John said, softly. “I can’t imagine that I’ll ever feel better, but if you’re doing all right with everything that has happened to you, I’m sure I will be, too.” 

“Aim to be better than all right,” Donna advised. “All right means you’re really not all right at all.”

“Where did you hear that?” John asked, with a chuckle.

“Oh, I don’t know. Probably read it on a greeting card or something.” She laughed. “I certainly didn’t come up with it!”

“Well, I’ll keep it in mind,” he said. “And I guess this is the end of the survey.”

“Oh. Right.”

There was a long moment of silence, and then John said, “Thank you for your time.”

“Yeah. Thanks for talking to me and putting up with my questions,” Donna said. “It’s been far too long since I’ve had a decent chat on the phone.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you feel better.”

“Thanks. You, too.”

“I already do. Thank you again,” he said. “Um… Goodbye, Don-na.” His voice cracked on her name, and he cleared his throat before trying again. “Donna.”

“Bye, John.” She pulled the mobile away from her ear, but she couldn’t bring herself to end the call. After a few seconds, she held it back up to her ear. “John?”

“Yeah?”

“You didn’t hang up.”

“Neither did you,” he pointed out.

“I know.” They both laughed.

“Did you need something else?” he asked.

“No. I guess I’m just…”

“Lonely?” John guessed.

“So lonely.”

He sighed. “Donna?”

“Yeah?”

“How would you feel about a follow-up call?”

“What, more questions?” she asked. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.

“No, not really. Just to see how you’re doing.”

That didn't sound so bad. “Okay. When will you call?” 

“When’s a good time for you?” he asked.

“Anytime.” Her schedule was completely free now, save for her television time.

“How about the same day next week? I know it's Christmas, but I haven't got any plans. I'm signed up to work and everything.” There was a smile in his voice. “If that works for you, I'll be sure to call earlier in the day.”

“I'm not doing anything for Christmas, so that will be fine. And this really isn’t such a bad time after all,” Donna said. “It’s actually worked out fine.”

“Oh, good! All right, then. Christmas day, same time it is,” he said.

“Same place,” Donna added.

That earned her another small laugh. “Oh, yes, same place. Well, until then, Donna.”

“Talk to you later,” she said. “Now, you should go get some sleep.”

“You too. Good night,” he said, softly.

“Good night.” This time, Donna hung up. She cradled her mobile to her chest for a moment, hugging it, and then she put it on her bedside table. It was late, and she really needed to sleep. Maybe now she would have good dreams instead of the usual sci-fi nightmares she'd had since her accident.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her mobile rang late on Christmas night, just as she expected. “Hello?” she answered, and her stomach fluttered in anticipation of hearing his warm voice again.

“Donna?” he asked. “It's me, John.”

“Oh, I know. I've put your number in my phonebook. You're the first telemarketer who has ever had that privilege,” she said, hoping he would laugh.

She wasn't disappointed. “I'll have to add that to my CV,” he said, chuckling. “So, how was your Christmas? Did you do anything fun?”

“No, I didn't do anything because I didn't want to. I hate Christmas, you see,” she admitted, unsure how he would react. She remembered that he'd said he didn't have any plans either, so hopefully he would understand.

“You still- You hate Christmas?” Surprise make his voice go higher. “How could anyone hate Christmas? It's so much fun! There are all of the gifts, and Father Christmas, and the caroling, and the decorations and lights and snow and candy canes. Oh, and mistletoe! A fun tradition, that. You never know who you might get to kiss.”

Apparently he didn't understand. “It's all just a load of commercialised rubbish. It's about who can buy the most expensive gifts and throw the best party, not about spending time with your family. It used to be fun when I was younger and could go out with the girls, but now it's just another day, except for mum’s dinner. She's a wonderful cook, but she always makes too much and I end up breaking my diet.”

“Oh, but it's so much more than that! And Christmas is not the day to worry about dieting,” he said, with a snort.

“Right. I bet you're one of those skinny people who can eat whatever you like without gaining a pound. Is that right?” she teased.

After a long pause, John said, “I can't help that I've got a good metabolism.”

Donna rolled her eyes and smiled. “Oh, I knew it! Well, John, I've got to tell you that I hate you, too.” 

“Oi! How can you hate me and Christmas? We're both wonderful, I'll have you know.”

“You've also got quite the ego,” she said, unable to hold back a deep laugh. There was something about this man that warmed her from head to toe.

“Well…”

“Well…” she mocked. “So, what did you do today? You said you didn't have any Christmas plans either.”

“I never make plans. I just go where the, um, car takes me. I ended up spending Christmas with a lovely couple this year. They'd been married for sixty years and I'm pretty sure they wanted to adopt me as their son by the end of the night. Betty kept stroking my hair. But it was great fun. We had Christmas crackers and everything.”

Donna couldn't help but smile at the images he presented her with, despite knowing that she was about to ruin the mood. “I woke up with a migraine, took some of my tablets and fell back asleep for a few hours. When I got up again, I sat and watched telly with my mum until it was time for dinner. That's all I've done today. Haven't felt up to much else.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” He sighed. “We've got to see what we can do to help you. How often do you leave your house?”

She frowned at the way he suddenly sounded just like her doctor, but shook it off. He was her, well, she didn't exactly know what he was to her, but he wasn't her psychiatrist. He wasn't judging her. “Once a week, usually. Friday is date night with Shaun. Except now, well...”

“Who is Shaun?” He was louder now, his concern evident in his voice.

“He was my boyfriend, but he broke up with me last night.” Donna didn't understand why she hadn't been disappointed or upset when he had phoned her on Christmas Eve to tell her he had found a new woman. She still wasn't upset, though she was disappointed. Maybe she had been expecting it on some level. He clearly hadn't been invested in their relationship, and deep down, she'd known it all along. “So I'll probably stay in on Fridays now too.”

“Oh. He sounds like an arse.” He was silent for a long moment. “But you could go out with me instead, if you like?” He suddenly sounded so eager, like a bouncy puppy. “I'm free on Fridays.”

She smiled despite herself, pleased with his offer and relieved that he hadn't kept apologizing for the unfortunate events that had befallen her. But she still had to warn him. “I'm really no fun at all, John. I've got more aches and pains than your average eighty year old, and the energy of a sloth. I get tired walking from my bedroom to the living room.”

“Oh, Donna,” he said, softly. “That doesn't bother me. We have so much fun just talking. Maybe we could just do some more of that, but in person. I'll buy you dinner. What do you think?”

She took a moment to think about it, but her mind was already made up. “Well, I suppose that might be okay.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Donna prepared to enter the little cafe where she was due to meet John, she was suddenly struck by the absurdity of her situation. Here she was, wearing a flowing red skirt and a white floral top, with her hair done up in a wavy bun. She'd even put on some light makeup, and it was all because she was going out to meet a telemarketer. She kept wondering if this was just some kind of elaborate scam, and maybe she was on track to be the next victim, but a small voice in the back of her mind told her that John wouldn't do that to her. He seemed kindhearted and honest, and she desperately needed to believe that such people actually existed in the world.

With a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a man who was seated alone at a table. He was looking down at his menu, but something felt terribly familiar about him. He was thin, with a head full of chestnut brown hair, and thick glasses that were perched on the end of his sloping nose. For a second, she thought he was wearing a suit, but then her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she realized that he was actually wearing jeans and a brown t-shirt.

She made her way to his table, nerves fluttering deep in her belly. He looked up as she approached and a grin nearly split his face in half. “Donna?” he asked, standing. He pushed his glasses up his nose and held out a hand. “I'm John.”

She smiled back and shook his hand, marveling at how familiar his long, thin fingers felt wrapped around hers. “Hello. Thanks for inviting me out.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” he said, and gave her hand a squeeze before letting go. “Here, let me…”

He pulled out her chair and gestured for her to sit down. “Thanks,” Donna said, as she sat and scooted in. John returned to his own seat and smiled at her again.

“Oh, here's the menu. They only brought one, but I already know what I want.” He handed her the laminated sheet, his fingers lightly brushing against hers.

She glanced down at it. “What are you having?”

“Just a slice of pizza and a side salad.” He shrugged.

Donna nodded. “I think I might have that too.”

After their orders were brought, they fell into an easy conversation. John was every bit as friendly and energetic as he had sounded over the phone, and Donna found herself smiling until her cheeks hurt. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been so happy.

But when their food was long gone and it was past time to go, his cheerful expression fell. “I guess this is goodbye,” he said, softly, as they lingered just outside the cafe. His expressive brown eyes glittered with tears, and Donna felt herself reaching out for him.

“It's not forever, you prawn,” she said, and pulled him into a hug. He eagerly returned it, wrapping his arms around her waist, and Donna found it so comforting that she never wanted him to let go. “We can meet up again next Friday if you're free.” 

“That would be nice,” he said, softly, as he pulled away to look at her. “But we shouldn't.”

“Why not? I was hoping we could make this a regular thing,” she admitted. She stepped back and watched as he rubbed the back of his neck, and for the first time, she wondered if he were as into this as she was. Maybe she had bored him and just hadn't realized it. “But not if you don't want to,” she added softly. Her eyes stung with tears and she silently chastised herself for thinking he was different.

“Oh, Donna Noble, I want to,” he breathed. “Please don't ever doubt that. It's just…” Another long pause. “You know what, never mind. Next Friday will be fine. Can I call you this week too? Just because.”

Relief flooded Donna’s whole body, and she smiled at him. “Of course you can, as long as you don't try to sell me something,” she teased.

“I'm just a survey facilitator,” he reminded her, and bent to kiss her forehead. He pulled away and rocked back on his heels as if he were unsure what to do next. “Well… Shall I walk you to your car?” 

“I'd like that,” Donna said, and before she knew what came over her, she pulled him close again and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. A shocked expression took over John’s face, but then it morphed in elation and he hummed under his breath, lingering close to her for a moment. With another soft look, he stepped back and offered her his hand, wiggling his fingers. Donna was glad to take it. 

The ride home didn't feel so lonely this time, for she was consumed by thoughts of her gorgeous telemarketer and their plans for next week.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just shy of one year later, on Christmas Day, Donna Smith gave birth to twins and remembered the years she had forgotten at the same time. She remembered exactly who and what John actually was, and what he had done to her. And though she wanted to be angry at him, she found herself unable to hold onto the emotion after he'd given his tearful explanation.

“If you had died, I never could have forgiven myself,” the Doctor said again, his voice still just as shaky as it had been the first time he'd told her hours ago. He was curled around her in the bed, holding her tightly as if he were afraid she might disappear. “There was a way to save you, so I had to do it. I couldn't watch you die. I just couldn't. I'm so sorry.”

Donna stroked his hair, letting him tell his story again. The day had been one big shock after another, and she felt far more tired than angry. “Shh,” she soothed him. “It's okay now.”

“I love you,” he said, softly.

Donna took a deep breath. She knew the Doctor loved her because he hadn't stopped saying it since she remembered. He hadn't meant to fall in love with her as John. He had only wanted to check on her and make sure that she was okay, but he didn't regret that they had fallen in love. He'd always loved her, and Donna believed him because she had always loved him too. 

Now, the deep love she felt for John was melting into the love she felt for the Doctor, and she just couldn't be angry at him. Especially not now, after he had just spent the last fifteen hours supporting her through labor, and their newborn sons, asleep in their cots, had heads full of his brown hair and she found that she wouldn't want it any other way.

“I love you too, Spaceman,” she said, and shifted so that he could get even closer and wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Did you know that they would absorb the metacrisis and fix me?” she asked. She'd been too afraid to ask that question earlier.

He was quiet for a moment. “I thought maybe, but I didn't dare to hope. And I-I promise that I didn't get you pregnant on purpose to find out,” he said, and she felt him tense beside her, as if she would slap him now after everything else had come out. “I wasn't even sure if humans and Time Lords were compatible.”

“Apparently we’re very compatible.” She laughed and gently elbowed him, wanting him to relax. They'd been shocked when she had fallen pregnant just three months into their relationship, but he had been so great about it. She had already known he was the one for her, but when John had immediately swooped her up in his arms and kissed her as soundly as if she'd just told him they'd won the lottery, she had never felt more sure of anything. Walking down the aisle had been just a formality for her family because they were already committed to each other.

“I love you,” the Doctor whispered into her ear again. He rubbed her arm. “I love you so much, and I love our children, and I want you to know that the next step is up to you. If you to go back to traveling in the TARDIS with me, I'll be happy, but if you want to go on living like we have been, I'll be happy to do that, too. Domestic life really isn't so bad with you. And if you want me to go away and never bother you again, I won't be happy, but I'll do whatever you ask.”

“I definitely don't want you to go away,” she said, firmly. “Why don't we take some time to think it over and talk? We need to get reacquainted with being ourselves again.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “But you do know that I love you, right?”

Donna's heart lurched at the pleading tone in his voice, and she couldn't let him suffer even though he was stuck in a loop. “Of course I know. I love you too.” She turned her head so that she could kiss him, and she tasted salty tears on his lips. “Hey, don't cry. It's okay, love,” she murmured.

He shook his head, tears still falling. “No, it's not that, I'm- I'm just so happy. I've got you back and we're together, and you love me, and I love you, and we have twins! I couldn't ask for a better Christmas.”

“Oh, me neither.” Donna smiled even as tears filled her eyes too.“Happy Christmas, Doctor.”

“Happy Christmas, Donna."

And they lived happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might develop this one into a full-length story at some point.


	4. Winter Wonderland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place after a fix-it, and includes an established relationship.

The Doctor entered the kitchen with a grin on his face and a mischievous gleam in his eye. He leaned against the doorjamb, artfully arranging his limbs as he waited for Donna to notice him as she ate her breakfast. He could be a terribly patient man when he had to be, but after being thoroughly ignored for a full minute, he cleared his throat.

Donna humored him. “Oh, did you need something? Come here and sit down.” She patted the chair next to her. He did as she said, and she slid a plate of toast and a banana across the table to him. “Go on, eat it. You know it's three squares a day with me, love. Do you want some of my scrambled eggs?”

“No, thanks.” He frowned at the toast but finally took a bite, chewing it thoughtfully. “Donna?”

“Yes?”

“Have you been in the library lately?”

She shook her head. “No. Why?”

“Just wondering.” He paused to take another bite of toast, and then he stole Donna’s mug to wash it down with a big swig of coffee. “I thought I heard something moving around in there last night after you fell asleep. Might’ve been Father Christmas.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Donna laughed to herself. He had been trying so hard to get her interested in the upcoming holiday. She shouldn't have been surprised that he wanted to bring it up again. But even though she knew what he wanted, she couldn't help but tease him a bit first. “You didn’t go check it out?”

He frowned at her. “No. Maybe you should.”

“But why didn’t you? You’ve certainly got no problem with sneaking into buildings or confronting evil aliens, so what stopped you from going to see what was happening in the library?” She widened her eyes, trying to look innocent. “I mean, if you think someone else is on board the TARDIS, shouldn’t you find out what they’re up to? They might be trying to sabotage us.”

“But Donnaaa,” he whined, stretching her name out in that way of his, “I want you to go see who it is.”

She sighed. “Fine, fine. After I finish my breakfast,” she agreed. “Now give me back my coffee.”

He shoved the last bite of toast into his mouth, took another drink, and then passed her mug back to her. “I’m going to go do some last minute dec- I mean, some repairs on the, um, landing system. I need to recalibrate the sensor alarm…thingy before we go anywhere.”

“Okay,” Donna agreed, ignoring his obvious nervous babbling.

“Okay.” He grabbed the banana and stood to leave the kitchen, but stopped and turned back to her at the last second to give her a quick kiss. “Don’t forget to check out the library. Soon, I mean. Don’t leave it for too long. If someone’s on board…”

She waved her hand, shooing him on his way. “Don’t worry. I’ll get to it.”

“Good. Right. You’re on it.” He nodded to himself and then turned and walked off, leaving Donna alone with her breakfast.

“Silly Spaceman,” she said aloud to herself, snickering. At least she'd managed to make him eat a few bites this morning. That was something. She still didn't understand how he had functioned for so long on mostly bananas and snacks before he had met her, but she doing her best to feed him properly now. It was no easy task, but she managed, and it had grown a fair amount easier to convince him to both eat and sleep regularly after they had fallen into a relationship along the way.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She decided to go to the library as soon as she finished eating. The Doctor was clearly up to something, and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings if she ignored him. He just didn’t seem to understand how much she hated Christmas. It had been fun when she was a child, but not so much as an adult. No part of her cared about lights or trees or carolers or anything. It was all just more work for busy people, false cheer and commercialism run rampant. A hassle. Not to mention that her mum always nominated herself leader of the diet police for all of their family holiday meals. Donna was dreading that bit already.

So with a resigned sigh, she pulled open the door to the library and stepped inside. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance. There were the rows of bookshelves and their favorite leather sofa by the cozy brick fireplace, all untouched. She almost wondered if he was serious about hearing strange noises when she noticed a green arrow taped to the carpet. She shook her head. What was he up to now?

She followed the arrow only to find another one pointing left past a row of bookshelves, and then another pointing off to the right. She continued to follow them until she came to a small wooden door. It hadn't been there before, or at least she had never noticed it. There was a handwritten sign on the door that said to enter, so she pushed it open and stepped through.

She stopped just inside and gasped at what lie before her. It took her a long moment to realize that she was in the garden because it was so completely different from how it had been the last time she'd visited. Most of the normally lush plants were bare and covered with a thin layer of snow. Big evergreen trees had popped up, scattered across the landscape and decorated like Christmas trees, lights twinkling brightly. Soft snow fell from the artificial sky above, drifting in a cold, artificial breeze. She stood there almost frozen for a moment, just taking it all in. 

“Surprise!” someone shouted, and launched themselves at her for a hug, laughing.

Donna shrieked even as she realized whose arms were suddenly wrapped around her waist. She automatically pushed him off of her. “Oi! What are doing?”

He sobered instantly. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. The air was so cold it made her lungs ache. “It's okay. I just didn't see you there for a moment.” She held her arms out for a hug, feeling ridiculous. “Come here.”

“Sorry,” he said again, and wrapped his arms around her again.

“It's fine. There's no need for that.” She rested her head on his shoulder, relaxing into the hug. She shook off her embarrassment, knowing that he understood. “The garden is beautiful. Did you do all of this yourself?”

“Mm-hmm. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, you certainly did that,” she said with a laugh.

He laughed, too. “I noticed.”

“It’s lovely, though. It really is.” She pulled away from him to look around again, marveling in the scenery. “It’s like a winter wonderland in here.”

The Doctor bobbed his head. “That’s what I was aiming for. I know you don’t like Christmas, but I thought maybe you’d like some of the scenery.”

“I love it.” She grinned up at him. “Is this where you’ve been sneaking off to at night?”

“Sometimes,” he answered, grinning. 

“Only sometimes?” she asked. What else was he up to? 

“Yup.” He winked. “Oh, there’s an ice skating rink on the other side, where the vegetable garden was. Do you want to skate?”

Donna grinned up at him. “Okay, but shouldn’t we change first? It’s freezing in here.” 

“Don’t worry, I thought about that too.There’s a little changing booth out by the rink. Should be well-stocked with coats and things.”

“All right. Lead the way.” She tucked her arm into his and let him lead her to the ice rink, smiling all the way.

Soon, they were both all bundled up and ready to go. Donna had ice skated some as a kid, but she was long out of practice and felt wobbly on her feet. The Doctor was no better because he had only skated a few times in his life. They clung to each other as they made their way slowly around the rink, their gloved hands fitting awkwardly together.

“The Winter Olympics, you and me,” he teased, as they started on their fifth slow lap around the rink. “We’ll take the gold in pairs figure skating.”

“Oh, definitely,” she agreed. “We’ll amaze the judges with our skill, grace and perfection.”

“They'll see moves they've never seen before.” The Doctor wobbled as he spoke, leaning more into Donna so that he didn't fall. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared to support him and lost her balance at the same time, and they both fell to the ice in a heap of tangled arms and legs.

The Doctor sat up first. “You okay?” he asked, leaning over to check on Donna.

“I'm fine,” she said, as she sat up. “In fact, I think that was a perfectly executed double tumble.”

“I think you're right.” The Doctor laughed, and Donna soon joined in. Before long, they were both laughing until their lungs hurt, rolling around on the ice together.

“Do you think you can get up?” he asked, after they had finally managed to regain control of themselves.

“No,” Donna admitted frankly. Her feet ached, and her bum was going numb from sitting on the frozen rink.

“I don't think I can either,” he said, and they had another round of laughter at that. Who knew ice skating was so much hard work?

Eventually, they both managed to half-crawl off the rink and back onto solid ground. They took off their skates and got to their feet, scampering to the changing booth in their socks.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, as they sipped tea and warmed up in front of the library fireplace, Donna found herself looking closely at the Doctor. She had never would have imagined that there might be someone like him for her out there. He loved her, and she didn't doubt it as she had with all of her previous boyfriends, and even with Lance. She knew he loved her because he told her so, and that wasn't always an easy thing for him to admit to, but she felt it even more because of the way he listened to her and supported her, and treated her with kindness and respect. It had taken her a long time to accept that he was serious when he said that she was special to him, but he had never had a reason to doubt it.

As she thought, she suddenly remembered something. “You said there was something else you've been working on at night?” she prompted.

“Oh, well, yes, but not in the same way as I've been working on the garden,” he said, shifting awkwardly. “I thought maybe we could invite your mum and Wilf to come here for Christmas dinner, instead of us going there like usual. I can even do all of the cooking. I spoke with them about it, and they said they would love to come, but it's not too late to cancel if you'd rather not.”

Donna chuckled at the thought of what he might make for dinner if left to his own devices. Bananas, biscuits, jam and jelly babies, maybe. She would definitely have to help with the cooking. Still, she loved the idea of inviting her family into their home, and she reached for his hand. “I would love that,” she said, softly. She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his palm. “Thank you.”

He smiled fondly down at her. “Let me know when you're ready and we can go pick them up.”

She nodded. “Okay, but first I want to enjoy cuddling you for a while. You deserve it after all of the hard work you've done.”

“Yeah?” he preened. Never having been one to pass on a cuddle, he snuggled against her and wrapped her up in his arms. “Happy Christmas, Earthgirl.”

“Happy Christmas, Spaceman,” she echoed. She closed her eyes, feeling content. The Doctor had somehow done the impossible -- he had found a way for her to enjoy Christmas.


	5. Christmas Soup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donna's sick on Christmas, and John wants to help. Human AU.

John frowned when his neighbor started coughing again. She had been doing that for days now, and she seemed to be getting worse instead of better as time went on. He wondered if she had seen a doctor. Probably not, he decided. Donna Noble seemed nice enough, but she was also always rushed and busy, and he counted himself lucky if he got so much as a hello from her when they passed in the hall. Even when they stood in the lift together, she was all tapping feet and glances at her watch and mobile, and all of his attempts at conversation fell flat.

Still, his concern grew as her cough turned into a hoarse, hacking sound. That wasn't good. She could very well have bronchitis, or maybe even pneumonia. He thought back and realized that he hadn't seen her in two days. Did she have anyone to check on her? He wondered if maybe he should try, but it was nearly midnight and he didn't want to scare her by knocking on her door. Tomorrow was Christmas. Surely someone would come to check on her then.

That settled, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John found that he couldn't enjoy his Christmas with the sounds of his neighbor coughing her lungs up next door. It didn't bother him so much when he went to work during the day and only heard her at night, but he couldn't concentrate on the Christmas parade on television with her hacking. It sounded like she was in pain, and he couldn't bear the thought of that.

He glanced over at the oven where his turkey was nearly done cooking and sprang up from the sofa as an idea hit him. He rummaged through his fridge, finding the necessary ingredients, and began chopping everything up. Chicken soup was best for a cold, but turkey should work just as well. He didn't need such a big turkey anyway, being all alone. It was no problem to share.

While the soup was simmering, he gathered up some other supplies and put them into his bag. He needed his stethoscope, of course, and his thermometer, as well as some cough drops and cold tablets. He wasn't sure if she had tea, so he put a few sachets in his bag, along with a lemon and some honey. That should do it.

When the soup finished cooking, he poured it into a bowl with a lid and tucked it under his arm. He approached Donna's door with a smile on his face and knocked softly.

No one answered, but he could hear her coughing inside. He knocked again. "Donna?"

"Who is it?" her weak voice called back from the other side of the door.

"It's me, John," he called back.

"Who?"

His smile fell. She didn't even know his name after all of this time spent living next to each other? "You know, your neighbor. John Smith. The doctor."

"What do you want?" She sounded decidedly grumpy.

Maybe this was a bad idea. "I just… I heard you coughing and wanted to check on you. I brought soup!"

At long last, the door clicked open, and he was face to face with Donna. She looked awful! Her skin was somehow even paler than usual, her eyes were surrounded by dark circles, and her usually lovely ginger hair was a tangled mess around her shoulders. She smelled a bit ripe too, if he were honest, and he wondered when she had last showered and changed her nightdress. "Thanks," she said, hoarsely, as she reached for the bowl of soup.

John didn't let go. "Actually, if you don't mind, I thought maybe I could come in for a bit and make sure you're okay. I've brought my stethoscope." She'd seen him in his doctor's coat on his way to or from work a million times, so he hoped she would trust him.

She looked him up and down, almost as if she were seeing him for the first time. "You work at that clinic on the other side of town, don't you?"

John nodded. "I do. Would you like to see my ID?" He didn't have it on him, but he would happily go back to his flat and get it if it would help ease her worries.

"No, that's all right. I guess you can come in." She turned and walked back into her flat, so he followed behind her and stepped into a well-decorated living room that faded into her kitchen, just like his did.

"Nice place," he said, as he sat the soup down on her kitchen table.

"Thanks." She sank down onto her sofa as a coughing fit overtook her. She covered her mouth as she hacked, her shoulders shaking as she gasped for breath. "Ugh."

"How long has this been going on?" John asked, as he sat down beside her.

"About a week," she replied, sighing. "I feel awful."

"You sound awful," he agreed. He rummaged around in his bag and pulled out his thermometer, holding it out. "Would you mind?"

She opened her mouth and let him put it under her tongue. When it beeped, he took it back and looked at the little display. "Oh, a bit of a fever. Thirty-eight point two."

Donna complied while he listened to her heart and lungs with his stethoscope, and while he felt of the lymph nodes in her neck, and then while looked down her throat with his mini keychain torch. "So, what's the diagnosis?" she asked, when he was finished.

John had good news for her. "Your lungs are clear, so it's not bronchitis or pneumonia. I think what we've got here is a bad upper respiratory infection caused by a virus. Antibiotics won't help, but my soup might." He grinned, feeling terribly relieved after having been so worried about her. "Shall I dish you some out?"

"Okay," she agreed.

"Great." He stood up to go do that, but there was a problem when he touched the bowl. "Oh, it's started to go cold. Tell you what, I'll reheat it while you go take a nice, warm shower."

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head.

"The steam will help loosen up some of that mucus and make you feel better," he insisted.

"Why are you doing all of this for me?" Donna asked, as she stood from the sofa.

John shrugged. "It's Christmas and I thought maybe you needed some help. Now go on, take a shower. Doctor's orders."

Donna didn't say anything else, but he was pleased when she turned and walked off in the direction he assumed her bathroom was in. The sound of running water confirmed it a moment later, and he busied himself with finding a pot to warm the soup.

He had just finished sitting out a big bowl of soup and a tall glass of iced water on the kitchen table when Donna returned from her shower. She looked a million times better already with her hair in damp curls and a fresh nightdress on. "Feel better?" he asked.

"I do," she admitted, as she sat down at the table. She took a bite of soup. "Oh, this is delicious!"

John beamed at the praise, feeling warmed from head to toe. "Yeah? I'm glad to hear that. It's my world famous recipe."

"Is it? What countries serve it?" Donna teased with a wink. "And why aren't you having some?"

"Oh, I made the soup for you. I don't need any," he replied, with a shrug.

"But you brought enough to feed ten. Please have some." She frowned at him. "Besides, you look like you could use a bite to eat. Bit skinny, aren't you?"

"Oi!" He couldn't help but feel hurt as she insulted his slim frame.

"Well, it's true," she insisted.

"I come over here to take care of you, and this is the thanks I get?" he remarked, as he stood to get his own bowl of soup. He wouldn't lie, that stung a bit.

When he settled back down at the table, Donna reached out and gently touched his arm. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean anything by it."

"S'okay," he mumbled.

"I get carried away sometimes, but I really would feel bad if you didn't have any soup after you took the time to make it for me." She smiled at him. "Thank you for thinking about me."

"You're welcome," he said, feeling better. He took a bite of his soup and smiled. "It is good, isn't it?"

"It's really good," she agreed. "I was supposed to go to my mum's for Christmas, but then I got this awful cold and knew I couldn't go. My poor Gramps tends to catch anything he's exposed to, and at his age..." She shrugged. "Anyway, I expected to be all alone today, so I'm glad you showed up and brought Christmas dinner along with you."

They fell into a comfortable conversation as they ate, talking about anything and everything. John found out that Donna worked as a temp, and that she was stressed out by the long hours and one of her current co-workers. That was why she'd never had time to stop and chat with him before. He shared stories about his work as a doctor, including some about the recent influx of people coming in for their flu jabs. "The adults are worse than the kids most of the time," he joked.

When the soup was gone and their bellies full, John knew he had one more thing to do before he left. "I brought some tea for you too," he told Donna, as he stood to find her kettle. "It's a special blend that should help open you up. I'll slice a lemon and leave you some honey, and I want you to add as much as you want to your tea and drink several cups a day."

"You really don't have to do that," Donna said.

"I want to," he said, as he added some water and pressed the button. "Oh, and there are some cold tablets and cough drops for you in my bag too."

He made her her first cup, and then decided that it was time for him to take his leave so that she could get some rest. "Merry Christmas, Donna. I hope you feel better soon, but if you don't, just remember that I'm right next door. Feel free to stop by anytime for some medical advice, or just to talk."

"Merry Christmas, and thanks for everything, John," Donna said, giving him a soft smile. "It's not often you find people like you in the world. You're very kind."

John blushed at that, feeling even his ears go red. He tugged at the left one. "Yeah, well… It's nothing, really."

"Oh, it's so much more than nothing," she insisted. "You know what, if you'll let me, I'd very much like to take you out to dinner as a way to say thank you."

John nodded. He'd love to spend more time with her. "That sounds great."

"Good," she said, grinning. "We'll have to plan something after I feel better."

John nodded as he walked back out into the hallway. "See you soon, Donna!" he said, with a little wave. After she closed the door behind him, he pumped his fist in the air. He'd had company for Christmas and set up a date with Donna Noble. Brilliant!


	6. Memories of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a fix-it that assumes the Doctor and Donna were married before the metacrisis happened, and that Ten didn't regenerate.

Donna crawled from her bed, leaving the warmth and softness of the covers behind with a soft sigh. Shaun was still asleep, his arms curled tightly around his pillow in a way he never held her. She glanced at the clock and sighed quietly as she realized that it was very early Christmas Day. She didn’t bother with a dressing gown, but headed straight for the front door. It was easy to slip out unnoticed.

Her head ached. The crisp night air only made it worse, but she carried on in spite of the pain. She walked down the street, her bare feet freezing on the pavement, until she got to the small grassy lot that passed for a park in her neighborhood. She sat on the lone bench and wrapped her arms around her middle, shivering as she looked up at the night sky.

The stars shined bright and vibrant above her head, a million of them spread across the universe. It was beautiful. She used to look at them with her Gramps, but now she was all alone, miles and miles away from home. He’d asked her not to move so far away, to stay where he and her mum could easily come visit, but she hadn’t listened. Shaun had wanted to get away from London, and she had wanted to make her new husband happy. She’d regretted it every day since.

As she studied the sky, her headache intensified from a dull throb to more of a hard pounding. She looked down at herself, tears welling in her eyes. “This will never do,” she murmured to the baby growing inside of her. “You deserve a better mum than me. One who isn’t sick all the time. One who can take you to play parks and run around after you. One who can make all of your Christmases seem magical.”

She hadn’t told Shaun yet. She was fourteen weeks along and just barely starting to show, but he was oblivious. He assumed her morning sickness was some kind of stomach bug, and had told her to cut down on the Pringles when he’d finally noticed her body changing. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth after that.

She didn’t think he would be happy about the baby, and that was the worst thing of all. He wasn’t interested in children, and had told her point-blank that he didn't want any of his own. He wasn’t even interested in her most of the time. Not anymore, not since they’d discovered a winning lottery ticket among their wedding gifts. Now he was all about living the wealthy life, buying fancy cars and clothes and spending time in luxury clubs with younger women with perfect bodies. When she tried to protest, he made her feel completely stupid and unattractive. He hadn’t even told her that he loved her since the day after their wedding.

But she had talked him into marrying her even though she had some doubts about him, so she couldn’t complain, not for herself. She had made her bed and now she had to lie in it. But what child deserves a father like that?

Sometimes, she imagined a skinny man with brown eyes and messy hair. He wasn’t anyone she knew in real life, but he had been in her head since the accident, like some kind of guardian angel. In her imagination, she could tell him anything. She even dreamed about him some nights, of the two of them walking hand-in-hand through a giant outdoor market, or curled up together on a sofa in the middle of an unfamiliar library, a fire warming their feet.

Other nights, she couldn’t fall asleep to save her life. On those nights, she came out here to the park and looked at the stars, the cold air working to cleanse her mind and help her get through one more day of stifling boredom and loneliness.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to the baby; to her Gramps; to the man who didn’t exist. “I’m so sorry.” She let out a loud, shaky sob as she tried to imagine Shaun holding their baby, the wrongness of it making her ache deep inside. Her feet were numb and her teeth chattering, the cold air too much for her weakened body, but she wasn’t ready to go home yet. She still felt hollow inside. “I’m not good enough,” she told the baby. “I’m not…anything enough. I’m nothing. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that.”

Donna startled, knocking her elbow on the back of the bench as she turned to see who had spoken. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized who it was. She stared, her heart racing. Had she finally lost it? Had the long months of memory loss and migraines finally given way to something so much worse?

The skinny, familiar stranger approached her, his big brown eyes almost luminous in the darkness. He looked sad, so desperately sad. “Hello,” he said, simply. “Happy Christmas.”

“It’s you,” she whispered, still unable to catch her breath. Her headache intensified even more as glitter danced in her peripheral vision, a late, strange sort of aura that only happened on her worst days. She brought a hand to her forehead, rubbing uselessly to ease the pain.

“Are you all right?” the man asked. He kneeled down in front of her, his face just inches from hers.

“Fine, yeah,” she whispered. “Just a headache.”

“Just a headache,” he repeated, his face grim. “Do you have them often?”

She wanted to lie, but it was him, so she told the truth. “Every day.”

“I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes, his long lashes fluttering against his freckled cheeks.

“For what?” She wanted to reach out and touch him, trace his eyes and his nose and his lips, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not yet. Not until she knew that this was real.

“For not looking after you properly. For not being here.”

Donna frowned. She was starting to feel dizzy, the world spinning around her, and she fought to get words out. “You-you’re my friend.”

“Yes.” He opened his eyes, studying her face intently. “Do you remember?”

“I dream,” she explained. “I-I imagine. You.”

He smiled. “Brilliant.”

“Am I imagining you now? Have I gone crazy?” She needed to know.

“No.” He leaned forward and gripped her arms, and suddenly the world was still. “I’m here. I’m real.”

She shivered involuntarily, a chill crawling up her back. Sound faded out for a second, the wind and the roar of traffic on the motorway two streets over disappeared only to be replaced with a high-pitched ringing. When the sound came back, he was talking about something else. 

“--hurt just a bit, and then you’ll be fine.” He rubbed her shoulders. “Aren’t you cold? You’re out here in your nightdress.”

“Freezing,” she murmured. And then she reached out, her fingers trembling as she touched his cheek. His skin was soft, his breath warm on her fingers. And she knew.

He brought his hand up to cover hers. “Your fingers are like ice cubes.”

She smiled, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “You are real.”

“Yes.” He smiled back. “Now come on, let me fix you. Is that all right?”

She nodded, not at all understanding what he was talking about. She trusted him, and that was all that mattered. “Yeah, it’s all right.”

“Good.” He brought his fingers to her temples, his thumbs resting lightly on her cheeks. “Just relax.”

He closed his eyes, so Donna did, too. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but she thought it was best to follow his lead. Pressure built up in her head, making the throbbing ache worse as glitter danced and whirled in the backs of her eyes.

And then her brain exploded. 

She screamed as pain tore through her head like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her skull. Colors floated in front of her eyes, swirling and forming blobs and circles as discordant music blared in her ears. Seconds later, memories began pouring in, pushing and shoving as they tried to find their proper places inside her mind. Her stomach heaved, the pain of it all too much for her to bear. She could hear him through it all, saying something, but she couldn’t quite make his words out.

Finally, mercifully, the pain and colors and music faded, and she collapsed forward into his arms, utterly exhausted. But it was wonderful, because she remembered. She really, really remembered! Everything! Lance’s betrayal, her travels with the Doctor, that awful day when he had been forced to take it all away. Everything.

“Donna,” the Doctor said with such hope in his voice. “Did it work? Do you remember me?”

“Spaceman,” she managed to say, too weak to form any other words. But inside, her heart was soaring and all she could think was, He came back for me. He came back. He fixed me.

“Oh, Donna,” he breathed, relief evident in his voice. He adjusted her in his arms and buried his face in her hair. She could feel him tremble as he held her close, and she ached to comfort him, but her limbs were too heavy and her head still felt wrong, full and stuffy like she had a cold. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so, so sorry. For everything.”

Her ears popped suddenly, and the weight was gone. She could move. “Doctor.” She wrapped her arms around him, holding him as tightly as he was holding her.

“I’m sorry, Donna.”

“Shh, it’s all right. You came back for me.” There was no way she could be angry at him, not even for a second. “You fixed me.”

“No, it’s not all right. You asked me not to do it, and I did it anyway.” He shook even more as he started to cry, tears trailing down his cheeks and dripping into her hair. “I was selfish. I just didn’t want you to die. I didn't want it to be my fault that you were gone. Not you. Anyone but you.”

She wanted to know how he’d fixed her, but that could wait. There was something else to say first. “I-I forgive you,” she whispered. That was the most important thing of all. “Completely.”

He pulled away to look at her, making sure to steady her on the bench before he let go. “I had no other choice.” He shrugged, helplessly, his eyes still watery with tears. “I had no other good-”

“I know,” she said, softly. Of course he hadn’t. She wouldn’t have been able to stand back and watch him die, either, not when there was another option. He needed to know that. “I would have done the same if it had been you. And I’m okay now.”

“Donna.”

“Come sit beside me.” She patted the bench, taking deep breaths.

He did as she asked, and suddenly she was back in front of the fireplace with her imaginary man, warming her feet as they talked. She smiled as she blinked the fantasy away, now knowing that it wasn’t just a dream, but a memory. “I never really forgot you,” she told him, firmly, as she reached for his hand. “I never stopped missing you.”

“I never stopped missing you, either.”

She squeezed his hand. “So how did you fix me?”

His lips turned up in the barest hint of a smile as he launched into an explanation. “Well, I had to find a way to remove the Time Lord consciousness without removing any of your own memories or causing any damage. So I built a model and ran a bunch of practice tests until I found a way to group the right bits together for a quick extraction. I had to make sure I wouldn’t leave anything behind that could hurt you. It just took time, that’s all. A lot of time to get it right.” 

“But I’m okay now? You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded. “You’re better than okay. A Christmas miracle, if you will.”

She leaned against him, the cold seeping back into her bones as she realized something. “Except I’m not okay.”

“You’re not? What do you mean? Does your head still hurt?” He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders instead, his usually expressive face still as he waited for her answer.

“No. Not like that.” She felt sick again, her stomach swirling with butterflies just thinking about how to say it. She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. “I, uh, got married.”

“I know.” He squeezed her shoulder in comfort. “I was at your wedding. Well, not at it exactly, but near enough to see everything.”

“You were?” 

“Yeah.” He nodded, the half-smile back on his face. “You were beautiful. So beautiful.”

She looked up and met his eyes. They were warm, kind and ancient, just like she remembered them. “I don’t love him.”

The Doctor held her gaze. “It’s all right if you do,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“But I don’t.” He needed to know. “I thought I did, once, but...things change. And now I remember you.”

“Don’t give him up because of me.” He shook his head. “Please don’t.”

“Doctor-”

“Don’t.” He brought his free hand to her face, cupping her cheek gently. “I want you to be happy. I want you to have a good life with someone you can have forever with. A real, proper forever.”

Donna’s stomach dropped at the resignation in his voice. She blinked, trying to stop the tears that were building in her eyes. “Why did you go through all the trouble of fixing me if you want me to be with someone else?”

He didn’t answer for a minute, but just looked at her, his dark eyes captivating her. “Because I want you to be happy and whole. You deserve that and more for what I did to you.”

Tears fell from her eyes faster than she could blink them away, and her breath began to come in sniffles. “How long has it been for you? Since we...?”

He shook his head, and fresh tears shone in his eyes, too. “Not so long that I stopped loving you.”

Donna closed her eyes, hope building in her heart. “So you do love me? Still?”

“Of course I do. Always.”

“Then why don’t you want me anymore?” 

“Donna.”

She opened her eyes. “Just answer. Please.”

“I-I…I do want you.” His voice was weak, broken. “But if you love this other man - and don’t lie to me about it, then I won’t tear you apart. I refuse. You’re so much safer here. So much better off with your own kind.”

“I don’t love him,” she said, firmly. “I was hurting and lonely and lost, so I asked him to marry me. He lost interest as soon as we left for our honeymoon. I don’t care about being safe. I want to go with you. I want to go home.” She shifted closer to him, wanting to wrap him in her arms and never let go. She bit her bottom lip, trying to stop the tears that were still falling from her eyes. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you,” she said, desperately. “I had this big, empty hole in my heart that could never be filled, and now you’re here and I’m better. He can’t give me that. No one else can. Only you. Please.”

The Doctor nodded, slowly, accepting her statement as the truth. “Okay,” he murmured.

“Okay,” she repeated. “I’ll get a divorce. A proper one, so he won’t be held back, and then we’ll go home.”

“Okay.” And then the dam broke, and his own slow trickle of tears exploded into big, noisy sobs as he pulled her into his arms. He clung to her tightly, whispering nonsense into her hair, pressing kisses to the top of her head. “I missed you,” he whispered to her, again and again. “My precious Donna.” 

And she whispered back.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, when it was time to go back to Donna’s house to tell Shaun the news, Donna decided she should get the last little piece of news out there. She was reluctant to tell him, terrified that he would leave her all over again. But it had to be done. It wouldn't be fair to keep her secret from both of the men who most needed to know.

“Doctor?” she said, as they walked hand-in-hand down the street, just like they had walked in her dreams that were actually memories.

“Hmm?”

She swallowed thickly. “There’s one more thing you should know before we go through with this.”

“What’s that?” He stopped walking to face her, but kept her hand held tightly in his.

She took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. “I-I’m… I’m, um, I’m….” 

He raised his eyebrows, encouraging her. “You’re…”

Her stomach was knotted with nerves and her knees felt wobbly and weak. If it weren’t for his grip on her hand, she probably would have sunken to the ground. “I’m…” she tried again, but she just couldn’t say it. So she pulled his hand to her belly instead, letting him feel for himself.

He looked confused for a second, but then he started to caress her tiny bump, his long fingers smoothing over her nightdress. “Oh, Donna.”

“I know,” she said, softly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He reached for her hand again. “Does this change anything with your husband?”

“No. And you’re my husband,” she said, a fierce edge to her voice. How could he doubt that? They were married first and he was the only husband she wanted. She hadn't even remembered him when she had married Shaun.

“You know what I mean. Your human husband. The father.” Despite his words, there was no harshness there, only a calm, even tone.

“He doesn’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve been too afraid to tell him.”

The Doctor stepped closer to her, his shoulders tensing. “You've been afraid to tell him? Why? Has he hurt you?”

“No, no, not like that. He’s just hard to talk to, and I know he doesn't want to be a father,” she tried to explain. “Something about him has always felt wrong to me. I’ve tried, but I just can’t imagine him with a baby in his arms, or tucking a toddler in for bed. I’ve been trying to decide what to do for weeks.” She shook her head, debating before telling him the last part. “I probably would have left him even if you hadn’t showed up.”

“You still have to tell him.”

“I know.” She knew she should be worried about that. Telling Shaun about the baby and asking for a divorce in one fell swoop was sure to be no easy task. But all she could do was wonder if the Doctor would still love her and have her as his wife with another man’s baby growing in her belly. Her cheeks burned as she waited for him to say something.

And as if he knew what she was thinking, he pulled her in for another hug. “How far along are you?” he asked.

“Nearly four months. I'm sorry.” There was usually nothing more reassuring than being in his arms, but she was too nervous to relax. A big part of her was waiting for him to push her away in disgust, but he didn’t let go.

He must have felt how tense she was, because he started rubbing her back. “Hey, it's okay,” he assured her. “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this together.”

“You’re not angry at me?”

“No. How could I possibly be angry?” he asked. “I know you’ve always wanted to be a mum, so I can’t fault you for trying to move on with your life and start a family. You didn’t even know I existed, and that was all my fault. You've got nothing to apologize for because you've done absolutely nothing wrong.”

Donna heard the honesty in his voice and relaxed into his embrace, finally feeling like everything was going to be okay.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shaun took the news surprisingly well. It was almost like he’d been expecting Donna to pop up and announce that she was technically already married. He agreed to go through with a divorce and was willing to let her move on as long as she let him have all of the money. He almost seemed relieved, happy even.

He seemed even more relieved when he realized that she didn’t expect him to be active in the baby’s life.

“I think maybe breaking up with him was the best Christmas gift anyone has ever given Shaun,” Donna joked, as she walked with the Doctor, on their way to the TARDIS. She would be lying if she said that didn't hurt a bit, but at least he hadn't wanted to fight over anything.

“Well, you're certainly the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten. Twice now.” The Doctor playfully bumped her shoulder with his, and Donna found herself laughing for the first time since she had been left behind.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna was curled against the Doctor in bed, feeling tired, achy, and just plain big. His arm was wrapped around her middle, his hand resting gently on her bulging belly. She was due any time now, and her energy had dwindled into nothingness as the pregnancy progressed. Still, she was happy, enjoying the last few truly quiet days she would have with her husband for a long while.

They’d renewed their vows just the day before in a beautiful beach ceremony on a tropical paradise planet, and it was everything she’d ever wanted in a wedding and more. She wasn’t ashamed to admit they had done their best to recreate their first wedding night, too, but things were much more difficult with her looking and feeling like a beached whale.

Not that the Doctor had said she looked like a beached whale. Anything but. She smiled as she reflected on their vow renewal ceremony, thinking about the way he’d stared at her in the simple beachy wedding dress she’d chosen. It reminded her of the first time they’d met. She had been in a wedding dress then, too, and he’d done more than a fair bit of staring. He somehow made her feel sexy and desirable even when she was spilling out of her clothes and felt enormous and uncomfortable, and that made her love him just that much more. 

She put her hand on top of his, feeling his ring under her finger. It was a proper wedding band, but hers was still the biodamper, now expanded to fit her swollen finger. She couldn’t bear to trade it in for something else, not the first time, and certainly not for the renewal. 

“Feeling all right?” the Doctor asked, his sleepy voice making her smile. He was as naked as she was from last night’s events, and, for once, every bit as tired.

“Fine. You?”

“Perfect.”

Donna chuckled and entwined her fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’m glad to hear that, Spaceman.” She nestled into him as well as she could and closed her eyes, needing to get some more rest. Sleep was hard enough to come by now that she was so swollen and uncomfortable, but she knew it would only get even harder to sleep after their daughter arrived. She drifted off to the soothing sounds of the Doctor’s rhythmic breathing and the fireplace crackling in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually think Shaun is a bad guy at all, but I used him as one here for the story.


	7. A Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor takes Donna to a fancy restaurant on a faraway planet for Christmas dinner and decides that he needs to tell her something important.

The Doctor sipped his drink as he watched Donna walk across the room towards him. She looked lovely in her deep red gown, like a goddess from one of Earth's old creation myths. Her hips were accentuated by a thin area of ruching, and the neckline, though modest, tempted his eyes to look right where they shouldn't. Her hair was a cascade of ginger curls down her back. In a word, she was beautiful. He let himself think it now, even though he could never say it to her.

"Now, that's better," she remarked, gesturing at her feet before sitting back down across from him. "I managed to find some flats."

"Good." He smiled at her. The sparkly heels had been a perfect match for her dress, but she'd got blisters from the horrible things during their short walk from the indoor carpark.

"Oh, they brought menus." Donna picked hers up and started looking through it. A moment later, she looked back up at him, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "What are emlezax jellies? They sound like...well, bad."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't recommend them. They're the equivalent of sea cucumbers on Earth, only they're a bit tart and more chewy." He paused for a second. "Well, so I've been told. I've never tried them. Maybe you should give them a try."

Donna's eyes widened. "No, I'll stay well away from them, thanks." She went back to her menu.

The Doctor picked up his menu and started to read as well. It seemed to be mostly local dishes, but there were a few familiar Earth-style dishes on offer. Maybe he'd get the pasta special, or the curiously vague _sandwich on bread._ Italicized and everything.

"Um, what's kip-a-lure?" Donna asked. "Or is it keep-a-lure? This." She turned her menu so the Doctor could see and pointed the dish out.

"Keyperuurle," the Doctor said, pronouncing the word slowly. "It's a local delicacy and often served for Christmas," the Doctor replied, enjoying the way the words rolled off his tongue. "Savory sea slugs mashed with complementary spices and rice. I've heard that it's delicious."

"Oh. What is it with this place and sea creatures?" she asked, with a sigh. "Well, at least rice is normal enough. What are you getting?"

He shrugged. "Probably the pasta special."

"Oh, you would, wouldn't you? Tell me to order slugs or sea cucumbers, and you get pasta." Donna narrowed her eyes at him. "The nerve."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I didn't tell you to order anything."

"No, but you tried to convince me. It's the local delicacy," she said, her voice dipping low, trying to imitate the way he'd drawn out the words. "It's delicious." She shook her head back and forth. "I'm going to order pasta while you gag on your slug-filled cucumber rice."

The Doctor coughed into his menu, trying to muffle the sound for the sake of the other diners. He tilted his head towards the kitchen on the other side of the restaurant. "You'd better not let them hear you insult their local dishes."

"Why?" she asked. "What are they going to do, make me try them all?"

"Possibly."

"Well, then, you'd better stop pushing me to order them."

"I'm not."

"'Cause if you make me eat sea slugs, you know I'm going to complain about it."

The Doctor held both hands up, admitting defeat in a battle he hadn't meant to enter. Only, Donna was giggling now, and so he let himself laugh along with her. Together, they dissolved into laughter, all fear of insulting the locals long forgotten.

"You are ridiculous," Donna said, when she managed to catch her breath. "You were looking at me like I was about to send you to the gallows."

"Thought you were," he said, with another small laugh. "So, just to be certain, is it safe to assume you won't be getting the sea slugs after all?"

That set her off laughing again, and she reached across the table to slap his arm. "Hush, or I'll order you the…" She looked at her menu. "Um, the grozz-manure and cheese."

"Donna, no," he begged. "You know how much I hate pears."

Her mouth fell open, incredulous. "It's pears and cheese? That's all it is?"

"Yup. And the variety they use is especially pear-y." He shuddered just thinking about it.

"Well, good. I'm going to order that for you, and you will eat it." She smirked at him.

"You can't make me." He crossed his arms, desperately fighting the grin that wanted to spread across his face and spoil his act.

"You really are five, aren't you?" Donna teashed. "Give a kid a time machine…"

"...and he still won't eat pears," the Doctor finished.

"You know, I think it would do you some good to try-"

"Excuse me, I am so sorry to interrupt," their waiter cut in, his deep voice a stark contrast to his gangly, teenaged appearance. "But are you ready to place your orders, or do you need a few more minutes to decide?"

"We'll each have an order of the pasta special, please," Donna said, her composure regained for the moment.

"That's a great choice. We will have it out shortly." The waiter nodded his approval as he collected their menus.

"Well, now you've ruined it," the Doctor complained as soon as the waiter had left. "All that trouble I went though and you didn't order the slugs."

"I could call the waiter back, if you like," she offered. "I'll place that order for pears."

He shook his head. "No, that's all right. I'll make do with the pasta."

"Glad that's settled."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks and enjoying the ambiance. The Flaming Rambler Restaurant was considered casual on the Seventh Moon of Nearrferre, but it was quite formal by Earth standards. The Doctor had even worn his tuxedo, despite his fears that it brought bad luck. He was pretty sure he did that all on his own.

He caught some movement in the corner of his eye, and he turned just in time to see Donna tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "It won't behave," she explained, when she noticed him watching.

"Your hair looks lovely," he assured her, smiling gently. He would do anything to be allowed to run his fingers freely through her hair. To feel the texture and weight of it, and to run silky strands of it across his lips. He sighed wistfully. She hated her hair, hated so much about herself, and he would never understand why. There was absolutely nothing about her to hate, and so much to love.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh." He blinked. "Sorry. I was just thinking." He gestured lamely at his head. "You know me, always thinking."

"Yeah, well, look over there and think if you're gonna look like that." She waved her hand away from their table.

The Doctor did as she said, turning to look out the window that ran the length of the building. It revealed a brilliantly starry sky, black with the barest hints of purple and blue. The atmosphere on the moon was too thin to get a proper daytime sky, but it was present enough to cause the tinges of color. He wanted to explain it to Donna, but a quick glance in her direction revealed that she was busy adjusting the top of her dress. He felt his cheeks warm as he realized where his eyes must have fallen while he was busy thinking about her hair. He turned his eyes back on the stars, hiding his blush as he wondered how the day would end.

"Doctor?" Donna asked, after several minutes had passed.

"Hmm?" He turned away from the window and looked at her.

"Thank you for this," she said, softly. "I haven't been to a restaurant like this in ages. It's really nice."

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"This is like one of those places you see famous people go to on the telly, you know? Not somewhere you go just because it's Christmas and you don't want to cook."

"Why not?"

"Well, it's expensive." She shrugged. "Growing up, my family hardly ever went anywhere nice to eat. Mum always said there was no reason to spend much on food because it all ends up in the same place anyway. I guess I sort of stuck with that when I started making my own money."

He nodded. "She had a good point, I suppose."

Donna sighed. "I guess so."

"The thing is, it's not really about that, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's about the experience. The tastes, the sights and sounds. The chance to get dressed up and share a meal with someone you care about. To try something new. To have an adventure." He waggled his eyebrows at her, accenting each word. "You're not paying for the food so much as everything that comes along with it."

Donna considered that for a moment, and then she narrowed her eyes. "Are you still trying to convince me to order the slugs?"

"Not at all," he assured her.

"In that case, I think you're right." She reached across the small table for his hands, and he happily let her take them. "Really, thank you."

"You're welcome," he said. "We'll have to do things like this more often."

"Definitely." She squeezed his hands and smiled warmly at him. "But I mean, thank you for everything. You're good to me. For me. Even Mum has noticed. She's still teasing me about how you wouldn't let me out of your sight when we visited last time."

The look in her eyes was so familiar. He was sure he'd seen it a thousand times, but suddenly he was seeing it differently. If he didn't know better… No. "And you're good to me and for me," he echoed, fully meaning the words.

"I never thought I could be so happy," she admitted, with a small shrug of her shoulders.

The Doctor swallowed past the lump in his throat. To hear his Donna say she was happy with him - because of him - meant everything. "Me neither," he agreed, swallowing again to prepare himself for his next words. "I thought my last chance for happiness had died along with my people, but I was wrong. You've made me so happy, Donna. Really, genuinely happy."

She blushed so intensely that her whole face went as red as her hair. "Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"I know I'm nothing special, and you..." She shifted nervously in her chair, clearly on the verge of saying something more.

"Donna." He ran his thumb across the back of her hand, enjoying the feel her smooth skin. "You are magnificent."

She shook her head, pulling back from him a bit. "No, I'm not. I'm ginger and dull, and boring, and I have-"

"Stop. You are none of those things, except ginger." His eyes moved back to her hair. "And your hair is gorgeous."

"Says you," she said, flatly.

"Says me," he agreed. "Don't I count?"

"Well, I don't know..." Donna looked up for a moment. "Oh, here comes our food." She pulled her hands away from his, effectively ending their moment.

And then the waiter was beside their table with their meals on a silver tray. "Your pasta," he said, placing their plates in front of them with care. "Happy Christmas."

"Well, at least it looks like normal spaghetti bolognese," Donna remarked, once the waiter had walked away. "Smells normal, too."

The Doctor leaned over his plate to smell. "Mmm."

Together, they began eating, finding that it tasted exactly as they expected. They ate and talked, enjoying the food and carefully avoiding their earlier conversation.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But something clicked deep inside the Doctor as they stood to leave, and he decided that enough was enough. He had enough evidence now to know there was at least a chance that Donna cared for him too. He didn't want to lose her, and that fear usually meant he wouldn't allow himself to get too attached to his companions, but he'd realized something as he had finished off his pasta. Donna was incredibly special, and he was already very attached to her. He'd told her things he hadn't told anyone else and let her in on some of his darkest secrets. It would probably kill him when she left, but he would never forgive himself if he didn't take the risk. Even if she said no. Because despite all of their denials and insistence that they weren't a couple, he had already come to think of her as his partner in life. He just needed to make if official.

He held a hand out to help Donna up from her chair. She took it, smiling up at him. "Thank you."

But instead of simply pulling her to her feet and leading her towards the exit, he pulled her up into his arms, hugging her tight. He knew better than to go straight to his point. Donna needed a more gentle approach. "Thank you for coming to dinner with me," he said softly, almost whispering into her ear.

She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course. Thank you for saving me from another boring Christmas on Earth."

He chuckled lightly, knowing that she would still want to go to her mum's later despite what she said. "Do you know what could make this evening even better?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing that I can think of. Today has been wonderful," she said, softly. "A perfect evening."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "How about a promise?"

"A promise?"

"Yeah. A promise to treasure and love you for as long as we get to spend together." He pulled away enough to meet her eyes, watching as she absorbed his words.

"What do you…? You mean love each other as friends, right?" she asked, but there was that gleam in her eye again, and he pressed on.

"Well, yes, as friends, and as more," he suggested. "If you'd like."

She gasped, a soft noise that made his knees tremble. "Are you saying…?"

"I am, Donna Noble. I know you might not feel the same way, and that's okay, but I still need to tell you. I love you, and I never want you to doubt that. You're so very special to me. And brilliant and kind, and beautiful. And I really want to kiss you right now."

"Well…" Her cheeks were aflame, but she leaned closer to him. "Okay."

So he did. For the first of many times that day and forever. When they broke apart, she leaned to whisper in his ear. "I love you, too. Merry Christmas, Spaceman."


	8. Coffee for Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is another human AU, and a coffee shop fic.

John Smith was really quite graceful. His long, lean frame was practically made for good balance and smooth movements. Should have been a dancer, he'd often been told. His skilled hands were steady and sure, and his mind sharp and clear.

But to see him on his first day at the coffee shop, you'd never believe it. He fumbled the cups, dropped the roasted beans, messed up the machines, forgot the customers' orders, and generally made a fool out of himself. He spent more time re-stacking the cups than actually filling them with coffee.

Most of the customers were patient with him because they recognized him as new, and it was Christmas, after all. Everyone is kinder on Christmas, especially to those who have to work on the holiday. But all of that changed when the ginger woman walked in. She was the picture of beauty with her curvy body and flowing locks, and John found that his eyes wouldn't stay on his work while she was in the shop. She wore a lovely, low-cut blue top and black jeans, and her full hips swayed slightly as she walked. She was also rather well-endowed, and John found himself fighting a blush when that particular realization crossed his mind.

The woman noticed him looking, and the corners of her lips turned up in the barest hint of a smile. John lit up. She was looking at him! He grinned at her and gave a cheerful nod.

"Is my coffee going to be ready today?" an impatient young woman asked, and John snapped back to reality. He needed to fill the cup in his hands. But what was it that she wanted again? A latte. He carefully went through the steps, following the directions slowly so as not to make a mistake and embarrass himself in front of the cute ginger woman.

"Here's your latte," John said, as he held the cup out for the young woman to take. He was supposed to write her name on the cup, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. Hopefully she wouldn't complain. "Have a nice day."

"Latte? I didn't order a latte! I said I wanted a black coffee. Are you dense or what?" She rolled her eyes dramatically and reached to push the cup away from her, knocking it out of John's hand and spilling it everywhere. Some of the steaming hot liquid splashed onto his left wrist.

"Ouch!" John cried, as a searing pain ran up his arm. He shook his arm as he made a break for the sink, ignoring the spilled latte and the complaining woman. He ran his wrist under the cold tap as tears filled his eyes. Could this day possibly get any worse?

And then his boss, Tom, came over and quietly asked him to leave for making one too many mistakes on his first day, and John wished that he had never challenged the day to get worse.

He hung up his apron and gathered his meager belongings before he trudged to the door. The ginger woman was still there, waiting for her own order, and he cast her one last longing glance as he left.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard the door open behind him, the little bells on the knob jingling again.

"Hey, are you okay?" a woman's voice called.

He turned around and came face-to-face with the ginger woman. "Fine, yeah," he said, softly.

"No, really. You're hurt." She held out her hand, and without thinking, John offered her his wrist. She inspected it gently, being careful not to touch any of the raw burns.

"You should probably have someone look at it for you," she said, her voice soft and concerned. "It looks pretty bad. You don't want it to get infected."

John shrugged. "It's only first degree, like a sunburn. I'll put some cream on it when I get home."

"Well, if you're sure," she agreed, but John sensed her reluctance and wanted to put her mind at ease.

"I'm pretty sure, but I'll ask one of my professors to look at it just to make sure."

"Your professors?"

"Yeah. I'm a medical student," he shuffled awkwardly. His wrist was really hurting, and he needed to get going. He had wanted to flirt with her earlier, but now all he could do was wonder how he would pay his rent next month with no income. He had barely scraped through December after the bookshop he used to work at closed. Who might be willing to hire him on Christmas Day? What shops were even open? He began making a list in his head.

"Oh! I guess you really do know what you're talking about then, don't you?" The ginger woman blushed and released his hand. "I'm sorry. I was just worried about you."

John managed a small smile, not wanting her to feel bad. "No, really, thank you for caring."

"It's just, what happened was horrible. You were hurt. Tom should have thrown that woman out instead of you. She was incredibly rude, and it's only your first day, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. First and last all in the same day. That was a new record for him.

"You know what, let's go back in there and I'll talk to Tom on your behalf. I stop in at least once a day, so maybe if I threaten to find a new coffee shop, he'll listen to reason."

"No, no, no, I can't ask you to do that," John insisted, shaking his head. "I'm horrible at making coffee and the other drinks. I've done nothing but mess everything up since I set foot in that place. I'm like a clumsy tornado."

"But it was only your first day-" She paused. "What's your name, by the way?"

"John Smith."

"I'm Donna Noble. Anyway, it was only your first day, and no one is perfect. You need time to learn. I'm surprised Tom had you making drinks anyway. He usually starts people out on dish duty or the cleaning crew before he lets them make anything. There's a whole menu and steps for each drink that you have to memorize first, not to mention learning how to use the machines."

John rubbed the back of his neck. "That actually might have been my fault. I'm usually quite good at everything. I told him where I go to school and shared my IQ report. He thought I could handle jumping right in. Bit of a genius, me," he admitted, and blushed when he realized how terribly arrogant that sounded. Why hadn't he realized it before he opened his mouth?

Donna gently shoved his shoulder. "Oh, come off it. So what if you're a genius? That has nothing to do with making coffee."

"Yeah," he breathed, his shoulders sinking. He may also have mentioned his fantastic memory and aptitude with mechanical devices, but he had been trying his hardest to get hired.

"Come on," she said, and reached for his hand again. "It's at least worth a try, don't you think? You only need to stand there and look sad, like you're doing now. I'll do the rest."

"Why do you want to help me?" he asked, as he gave her his hand. Luckily it was the un-burnt right one. Her hand fit perfectly in his, and her skin was warm and soft against his. A deep sense of comfort welled up within him at the simple gesture.

Donna shrugged. "Well, it's Christmas. And you seem far too nice to be out of your job. I noticed you as soon as I walked in, you know. You had this big smile on your face, and I thought, I would like to be smiled at like that every time I come in to get my coffee."

John ducked his head as his cheeks warmed. "Really? 'Cause I noticed you too. I thought, I hope she's a regular so I can see her everyday."

Donna laughed. "Well, come on, let's go get you your job back so we can go back to smiling and hoping."

John let himself be led back into the shop, and stood quietly while Donna chatted with Tom. She was really quite convincing as she argued on his behalf, and finally, Tom agreed to let him come back as a dishwasher.

"Go home, rest, and take care of that burn," Tom said. "We'll see you tomorrow at nine."

"There's that smile," Donna said, as she followed him out of the shop.

He turned to face her and launched himself at her for a hug, almost giddy with relief and gratitude. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cried.

Donna hugged him back. "You're welcome. It was nothing, really."

He pulled away to look at her. "Are you kidding? It was everything! I was going to have to go job-hunting this afternoon, but now… Oh, thank you! You're brilliant!"

Donna shook her head, but happily accepted another of his big hugs. "I'm glad I could help," she said.

John knew it was time to say goodbye, but he didn't want to just yet. He rocked back on his heels. "I've still got a job, thanks to you. That means I can spend a bit of my money taking you out to lunch as a way to say thank you. If you want to go, that is…"

"I'd love to go to lunch with you," she said. "But I'd be more than happy to pay my own way."

John wanted to argue, but he got the feeling that he would never win an argument against Donna. So instead, he just nodded. "At least let me drive," he insisted.

"You did actually pass your driver's license test, right? You didn't just wow your examiner with your big brain?"

"Oi! I'll have you know that I'm a very good driver." He sniffed dramatically. "I've never got so much as a speeding ticket."

"Well, all right. If you're sure." She began walking with him as he led her to his blue sedan. "It's a date."

John liked the sound of that! They smiled at each other and as he opened the passenger door and gestured for Donna to get in. Somehow, the day had gone from awful to wonderful, and all he could do was grin like a loon as he set off on his first date with Donna Noble.


	9. Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one for Saturday. The Doctor shows Donna a Gallifreyan sunset

Donna sighed as she shifted closer to the Doctor, seeking his warmth. They were snuggled up together underneath a thick, soft blanket, but the garden's artificial atmosphere was set for snow and the air was freezing cold. The little bench they sat on was nestled below a bare oak tree, the branches casting thin shadows on the ground. They each sipped steaming mugs of cocoa, the Doctor's topped with a scandalous number of mini marshmallows. He had arranged a sunset show for Donna as a special end to a lovely Christmas spent with her family, and she was waiting with interest for it to start.

Donna knew the twins suns weren't real, but it was hard to remember that as she watched them sink lower in the artificial sky. The Doctor had once told her that while the garden was large, it was actually nowhere near as massive as it appeared to be. There was some sort of scientific trickery involved, but it could practically be its own planet for as far as she could tell. Only the doors that seemed to spring up out of nowhere and led to other parts of the TARDIS gave away the illusion.

The sky was not its usual Earth-like blue, but something else entirely. It was ablaze in shades of reds, yellows and oranges, creating a fearful, fiery mass of colors that shone brighter and more intensely than any sunset Donna had ever seen before. "It's beautiful," she told the Doctor.

"It's a Gallifreyan sunset," he answered, and the deep sadness that often plagued him was present in his voice once more. "A perfect recreation that the TARDIS took directly from my memories. She's been offering to show me for a while, but I didn't know if I..." he trailed off. "Anyway, I thought you might like to watch it with me."

Donna said nothing, but reached over and took his free hand, giving it a squeeze. She wished she could feel his skin against hers, but the gloves they both wore prevented her from feeling more than the slight tremble in his fingers.

Slowly, ever so slowly, one of the suns sank below the horizon and the light faded and filtered into a deeper blood red color with tinges of silver, like a normal sunset magnified by a hundred. Donna shivered at the immense power of it. The sky felt foreign and almost foreboding to her, and she wondered if the Doctor felt the same way about Earth's blue skies. He must miss this so much, she realized.

She turned away from the sky to look at him and wasn't at all surprised to see tears trailing down his cheeks. He noticed her watching him and looked back at her, giving her a small, sad smile. He made no move to hide his tears as he once would have, and Donna felt her heart swell at the trust he held for her. She sat down her empty mug and wrapped both of her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and offering as much comfort as she could. He leaned into her touch, and they both went back to watching the sky.

Eventually, the second sun disappeared below the horizon, and the sky slowly faded to black, revealing a smattering of bright but unfamiliar stars. The Doctor and Donna stayed huddled together, each thinking their own thoughts. It was a long moment before either of them spoke.

"What did you think?" the Doctor finally asked.

"It was gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it with me." Donna found herself blinking back tears as she realized how much he must miss even the simplest things from his home. She wondered when she had last properly watched a sunset on Earth. Maybe she should do that the next she visited her family.

"Hey, don't you cry too, or I'll never stop," the Doctor said. His own eyes were still damp, and Donna reached up to gently dry the the tears on his cheeks.

"I'm just sorry for you and what you've lost," she admitted. "It must hurt all the time."

He hummed softly in agreement, his eyes meeting hers. "I have lost a lot. But I've gained a lot, too." He reached up and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. She knew that he was about to change the subject, but she still clung to the heart of what he was telling her. "I hope you had a nice Christmas."

"I did," she assured him, and it was true. She relaxed further against him, enjoying their cuddle as the chilly artificial night air nipped at her nose. "Thank you for everything."

"No, thank you," he said, and gently kissed her forehead. "Now, if you look over there, you'll see the Great Star of Rassilon…"


	10. A Best Friends Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is another human AU, and based on a prompt from All of the Prompts on Tumblr: Character A returns to their birth-town for the holidays. Character B is their estranged childhood best friend.

Donna watched the road carefully as she drove. It was already dark out as she made her way to her childhood hometown. Her mum had only just finished settling herself and Donna's grandfather, Wilf, into their new home in old Chiswick, and Donna had been invited over for Christmas dinner. She probably should have left her home earlier, but she hadn't wanted to end up with any extra time on her hands. Not after what her mum had told her.

She probably should have said no altogether, but she hadn't seen her dear old Gramps since he and her mum had moved back across the country nearly a month ago, and she already missed him. She could deal with her former best friend for a few minutes if she had to. The astronomy club was due to wrap early up at seven, and she was on track to arrive just a few minutes before. Maybe she would stop to refill her tank first, just in case. Who had a club meeting on Christmas Day anyway?

Of course John was still a nerd. That was nothing unexpected. She snorted fondly at a memory of him looking intently through the toy telescope that had stuck out the side of that old blue treehouse of his. The TARDIS, he'd called it. They had spent hours playing together in it together as children, pretending that they were adventurers traveling through space and time, going on all sorts of adventures. He'd called himself the Doctor because he wanted to be one when he grew up, and claimed they were both aliens called Time Lords.

Donna had never been as into all of the rules as he was, but she'd still had fun. John had been a wonderful storyteller and always made sure to include adventures that she would enjoy too, like the time they had been caught by bad aliens and forced to marry each other or else.

She still had the little plastic ring that he had given her, though she didn't wear it anymore. She may have had a teenage crush on him back then, but that hadn't lasted long. No matter how much fun they'd had together, or how many times he had declared her brilliant, the truth had come out eventually. And when it did, he had stomped all over her heart.

Sometimes she still heard his voice in her dreams, telling her in so many words that she was not special, not pretty, not clever, not important. All of the words that he knew would dig in and hurt her the most. And maybe she had started it by telling him that she didn't want to play in the TARDIS anymore, but they had been fourteen years old at the time. She had long outgrown make believe, and he should have too.

Donna readjusted her grip on the steering wheel, surprised at how strong her old feelings still were when she let them take hold of her. Something that had happened nearly twenty years ago shouldn't still hurt so much. She turned into a petrol station, moving as slowly as she safely could to further delay herself.

She pulled into the driveway at ten after seven and busied herself with gathering up the gifts she had brought. She slowly made her way to the front door and rang the bell.

"Hi Mum," she said when the door opened, smiling. "Happy Christmas."

"You too, Donna. Come on in. Dinner is almost ready." Sylvia stepped back to allow entrance. "Oh, what goodies have you brought for us? Let's put those under the tree."

Donna followed her mum into the sitting room and sat her gifts down under the small Christmas tree in the corner. With her hands free, she moved to hug her mother. "Where is Gramps?" she asked, quietly.

"Oh, his astronomy club meeting must be running late. They went out to a lake somewhere, but I'm sure he'll be back soon. I still can't believe they had a meeting on Christmas." Sylvia paused. "John's coming too, you know. He offered to give Dad a ride, so I invited him to stay for dinner. I hope that's okay with you."

Donna was pretty sure her heart skipped a beat. "Oh, yeah, that's fine," she lied, as she cursed internally.

"He's excited to see you."

"Right." Donna took a deep breath, fighting the blush that wanted to creep onto her cheeks. She wasn't a bloody teenager anymore. It had been years since their stupid fight. She could handle this like the adult she was.

"Oh, don't be like that," Sylvia chastised her. "He's just as sweet as ever, and he's made sure to make Wilf feel welcome back here. He's actually the one who started up the astronomy club. He says it takes him back to stargazing on the old hill when you were children."

Donna nodded, taking in the new information. It was nice that John was being friendly with Wilf, but she still didn't want to see him. "Is there anything I can do to help you get ready for dinner?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna had almost finished washing the cooking dishes when she heard the front door unlock. Her heart raced as she dried her hands and nervously patted down her hair.

Wilf entered the kitchen first, nose in the air as he followed the smell of Christmas dinner. He grinned when he saw her. "Donna! Come here, love." He embraced her tightly before placing a wet kiss on her cheek. "How was the drive?"

"Long, but I'm glad to be here," she answered, casting her eyes towards the doorway. "Happy Christmas, Gramps."

"Happy Christmas to you too, my dear."

John appeared in the doorway, watching her. He was just as skinny as he had always been, but significantly taller. His features were much the same as she remembered them, only matured and more refined. His unruly hair had darkened a few shades into a nice chestnut brown, but his wide brown eyes were as familiar and striking as ever, and were nicely framed behind a pair of rectangular glasses. He wore a brown pinstriped suit that clung to his thin form, and the look was completed by a pair of old Converse trainers.

He gave her an awkward, painfully familiar wave. "Hello, Donna."

"Hi," she said, and gave him a little smile before she turned back to finish the washing up. It was all she could do to stop herself from throwing herself at him for a hug as a fierce wave of what could only be described as homesickness rose up in her. It felt like the room was spinning as she fought to focus on her task, and she was suddenly hyper-aware of the diminishing air in the room. God, she had missed him.

She sensed rather than heard him approach her, and her fingers began to tremble. She sat down the bowl that she was rinsing so she wouldn't drop it and breathed deeply in through her nose.

"Would you like some help with those?" John asked.

His body was hovering so close to hers that she could feel his warmth through her clothes. Goosebumps began to form on her arms. "Oh, I'm almost done, but thanks."

"At least let me dry the last few."

He reached for the bowl, and Donna nodded her permission, reminding herself that this would only last for a few hours, and then she would be free of him once again. She kept her eyes firmly on her task, hoping that he wouldn't want to chat. But who was she kidding? John had always had a big gob on him.

"So, how have you been?" he asked, and she could have sworn that she heard a slight waver in his voice. "It's been a long time."

"Fine, thanks."

He hummed under his breath. "You still look the same."

Donna rolled her eyes. Did he mean fat and ugly? "So do you," she said, unsure what else to say.

"Have you done anything interesting lately?"

"Not really." She knew that she was being rude, but she couldn't help it. She had spent years feeling hurt and angry at him, and she wasn't about to forgive him just because he was being nice and looked so much like, well, himself.

He seemed to get the message after that and stopped talking to her. They finished the washing up quickly and silently, and then they both helped Sylvia set out all of the food.

Donna ended up next to John at the table. She ate quietly, listening to John and Wilf tell stories about their adventures with the astronomy club. She found herself being drawn in despite herself, much as she had been when they were kids, and when John mentioned twisting his ankle thanks to a meteor shower and an unfortunate series of events, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, you think that's funny do you?" he shot at her, one eyebrow raised. "I'll have you know that I've got very delicate ankles."

Donna threw back her head at that, laughing. "I'm sure you do, Spaceman." The old nickname fell easily from her lips, but when her ears heard what her mouth had just said, she instantly sobered. "Sorry," she said, meekly.

"It's okay." John blushed, the tips of his ears a deep red. "Anyway, it took months to heal. So if you ever happen to go watch a meteor shower in a field after dark, make sure you keep one eye on the ground and watch out for upturned rakes."

The conversation continued, but Donna tuned it out. Why was she letting herself be pulled back in like this? He had perfected the nice guy act, but she knew that he could be cruel when he wanted to be. He had apparently only just tolerated her when they were children, and he was likely doing the same now. He'd always dearly loved her Gramps. Maybe that was the real reason he had hung around with her for all of those years.

Suddenly, Donna became of aware of a lull in the conversation. She looked up from her plate and was surprised to see that everyone at the table was looking at her. "Um… What was that?" she asked.

Sylvia narrowed her eyes. "John asked what kind of work you're doing these days."

"Oh, no, really, that's okay. I was just making conversation. It's not necessary to ans-"John started.

"I'm just a temp," she said, softly. She found herself looking away from him, knowing that she couldn't bear to see the look on his face if he were going to make fun of her.

"Oh, that sounds great," John said. "You must never get bored of your job if you're always moving around and doing different things."

Donna bobbed her head, trying to ignore the sarcasm that he had to be masking. Who in their right mind would think temping was a good career choice? "What about you?" she forced herself to ask. "What do you do?"

"I teach," he began. "My-"

"John is a professor of physics and astronomy at the university," Sylvia interrupted. "He's really made something out of himself."

Wilf nodded. "I've sat in on some of his lectures myself and they're brilliant! Always said he would be a doctor, didn't he?"

John was secretly watching her out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her reaction. Did he expect her to lavish him with some kind of great praise? She wasn't about to do that. Instead, she just shrugged and shoved some green beans into her mouth. Of course he was doing something brilliant with his life. He was John Smith, child prodigy turned adult super genius. She would have been far more surprised if they'd told her he worked retail.

She was terribly relieved when dinner was finally over and it came time for John to leave. Goodbyes were shared all around, and Donna just barely avoided John's awkward attempt to hug her. When the front door was closed and locked behind him, she sank down onto the sofa and sighed in relief. Maybe it hadn't been so bad to see John again, but she was glad that he was gone now.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door, and Sylvia went to open it. Of course John's car wouldn't start and all of the repair shops were closed for the Christmas holiday. Of course Sylvia would invite him to stay the night rather than offering to drive him home. And of course they would have to share the guest bedroom, with its one double bed.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'll sleep on the floor," Donna offered, as they stood facing each other in the bedroom. John had borrowed a set of Wilf's pyjamas and looked suspiciously like a kid in his dad's oversized clothes. If there was something endearing about that, Donna refused to acknowledge it.

"No, no, that's not necessary," John argued. "We're adults. We can share the bed."

Donna shook her head. "I'm not exactly comfortable with that."

"I promise I won't steal all of the covers." He smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "We used to have sleepovers all the time, remember?"

Of course she remembered. They had spent countless nights curled up together at each other's houses or in the TARDIS. Even as they had grown older, Sylvia hadn't minded them sharing a bed because it was just John. Naive, sweet, innocent John who was far more interested in aliens than girls. She still heard his unusual heartbeat in her dreams sometimes. That reminded her to ask if he'd ever outgrown the harmless murmur, but she decided to wait until later.

"Donna?" John asked, quietly, as he stepped closer to her. "Are you okay? I'm really sorry if I'm ruining Christmas for you. I didn't mean for my car to break down." He paused, but Donna still didn't reply. He sighed. "Look, I'll sleep on the floor. It's really not a problem."

"Well, only if you're sure," she agreed. Better him than her, really.

He arranged the provided pillows and blankets on the floor and settled into his nest as Donna shut off the light. She slipped into bed feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by the day. "Good night," she said, dryly. Hopefully he would be gone by the time she woke up in the morning.

"Good night, Donna. Sleep tight."

She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but she soon found that her mind wouldn't let her. She felt unexpectedly guilty. John had no padding at all on his scrawny body. She didn't want to be mean to him, even if he had been mean to her all of those years ago. He would probably be in terrible pain by morning if she let him stay down there.

"John?" she asked, quietly, almost hoping that he wouldn't hear her. Maybe in the morning she would tell him that she had offered, but he had already fallen asleep.

"Yeah?"

Donna rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that she would regret her next words. "You can come up here with me if you like."

There was some rustling. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, come on." She patted the empty space beside her for emphasis. She watched as his shadowy form stood up, and then the bed dipped as he sat down.

Donna's skin tingled when he slid beneath the covers next to her. She was acutely aware of him in the darkness, and when his familiar scent hit her, tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. She was such an idiot. Why was her body reacting this way to someone she hadn't seen since she was fourteen? Why did she want to grab hold of him and never let go?

"Thank you," John said, softly. "Um… Goodnight again."

Donna closed her eyes and didn't reply. She wasn't quite sure why her cheeks felt damp all of a sudden, but she refused to let herself cry.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna woke hours later feeling too hot. Her face was pressed against something smooth, and there was a strange pulsing in her left ear. She sighed, adjusting her arm to better hug her pillow as she blinked in the stuffy darkness.

Suddenly, her pillow moved and it all came crashing back to her. John. She was snuggled up with John in bed. She tried to pull away, but his arm was wrapped around her waist and he wouldn't let go. "Mmm," he murmured, when she shifted.

"Let me go," she hissed, shaking him awake.

He let go as soon as he woke and realized what was going on. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened!" he cried, as he sprang out of bed and turned on the light.

Donna squinted at him in the bright light, furious. "What do you think you're doing, feeling me up while I'm asleep?"

"Me? Feeling you up?" he squeaked. "You were practically lying on top of me!"

Donna fumed as she realized that he was right. "Yeah, well, you could have pushed me off," she half-shouted. A glance at the clock told her it was only midnight and everyone else would be asleep, so she made a point to lower her voice. "I know I'm not exactly skinny, but you could have managed."

His shoulders sank, the fight going out of him. "Look, Donna, can we please not do this right now? I've missed you and I just wanted to have a nice visit and catch up, but it seems like all we can do is fight. I don't want to fight with you anymore."

"Oh, you can stop acting like that right now! I know you're not really Mr Innocent." Donna rolled her eyes at him.

"Why are you so angry at me?" he asked, at last, as he sat down on the side of the bed. He looked up at her with those big pleading eyes of his. "Have I done something wrong?"

"What do you think?" she snapped. Some small, rational part of herself wondered if she was overreacting, but he was pretending like he didn't even remember and that made her want to scream. So what if it had been years?

"Is this still about what happened after my parents died?" he asked, softly.

Donna's mouth clicked shut, stopping her latest insult from flying loose. "Your parents? But… Oh, John, I'm so sorry. I've been horrible to you! I didn't know that's why you were spending Christmas with us." She sat down beside him on the bed and gently touched his shoulder, unable to resist comforting him despite herself. "What happened?"

He tilted his head. "What do you mean? You know exactly what happened."

She frowned at him. "I moved away years ago, John, and we didn't keep in touch. How would I know?" She paused. "Oh, did you tell Gramps? Because sometimes he forgets to pass along information. I'll talk to him about that in the morning."

"No, but…" He turned to face her, looking deeply puzzled. "My aunt said she told your dad back when it happened."

"My dad?" she repeated. He had passed away a couple of years ago. None of this was making any sense.

"Yeah. It was that day, the last day that we saw each other," John continued. He was still looking at her like he expected her to remember at any second. "My parents had been been in a car accident the day before, and they both died during the night. My aunt wanted to hurry and gather up my things so that she could move me into her house, but I wanted to see you and play in the TARDIS first." He swallowed thickly. "I begged her. I needed to go so that I could pretend for just a little while that everything was still normal. I needed you. But you didn't want to play anymore, and you told me so, and I…" He gasped. "Oh, Donna, I said all of those terrible things to you. I thought you knew! I thought you were deliberately being mean to me, and I… I'm so sorry!" Suddenly, his arms were around her in a tight hug. "I didn't mean any of it."

"My dad didn't tell me," Donna said, as she hugged him back. She wished she could ask him why he hadn't. Her heart was breaking for John even as the deepest feeling of relief spread through her entire body. He didn't hate her. He didn't really think all of those awful things about her, and he never had. "All of those years, I thought you had just barely tolerated me until you couldn't hold it in anymore," she admitted, softly.

"Tolerated you? Donna, I loved you! You were my best friend." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I've regretted those words all of this time, but I was still angry at you, too. I've always wondered why you did that to me just when I needed you the most. I thought maybe you hated me."

"I'm so sorry. I could never hate you," she whispered, and clung to him. It felt so good to hug him again. It was like the missing piece of her heart had finally been found; the sharp, broken spot mended and made whole. They both cried as they realized the horrible feud between them could finally come to an end.

They stayed up most of the night talking and cuddling together on the bed, like they had done when they were children. Donna stroked John's side as she pressed her ear to his chest and listened to his wonky heartbeat. He hadn't outgrown it. John's fingers played with her hair, his other hand rubbing her back, and the sensations were just so painfully familiar that it made her heart ache. "I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you too," he said. "All of these years, I missed you so much."

"I wish we had talked about what happened when we were younger," she said, with a sad sigh. "You know I would have been right there if I had known about your parents, right? I would have done anything I could to help you."

"I do now," he assured her. "You know that I didn't mean a word of what I said, don't you?"

"I do now," she repeated, and they shared a soft chuckle.

"I don't want to go so long without you in my life ever again," he breathed. Donna met his eyes and was surprised at the longing she could see in his gaze.

"Me neither," she said, and gently stroked his side. "We won't. Never again."

"Promise?"

"Promise," she confirmed.

He shifted closer and for a second Donna almost thought he might kiss her, but then he pulled away. "I hope you managed to have a nice Christmas despite me," he said. "I really am sorry if I ruined it for you."

"Well, it's not like Christmas has ever been my favorite holiday," she assured him as she moved to stroke his cheek. His skin was so soft, and she smiled when she realized that he still had the smattering of freckles on his cheeks. "Besides, this is worth all of dinner's annoyances."

"Yeah," he agreed, quietly.

"You're a doctor," she said. She had rolled her eyes about it before, but now she felt happy for him. Very few people actually achieve their childhood dream. John had, even if it wasn't in exactly the same way as he had once planned.

"Well, yeah," he agreed, and chuckled. "Not the medical kind though, not anymore."

Donna grinned at him as she realized what he was saying. Maybe his childhood dream had come true exactly. "Anymore?"

"Yeah. It was too stressful after a while, so I went back to university and started over." He shrugged casually, as if one normally just tosses away a medical degree when one wants to. "But I love being a professor. It's great fun."

Donna giggled despite herself. "You're something else, do you know it?"

"So are you, Donna-" Suddenly he froze, his body going stiff.

"John? What's wrong?"

"No, I mean..." He spoke slowly, his eyes drifting away from hers as he drew deep breaths. "You're still you, aren't you?"

Donna frowned at him, puzzled. "What do you mean? Of course I'm still me. Who else would I be?"

"No, but I mean, you're not...married, are you?" There was a note of dread in his voice.

Donna snorted. "No. I came close once, but he got cold feet and left me at the altar."

"Oh, good," John said, and then he cringed. "No, not good! I really didn't mean that. I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm sure he was an arse."

"He was that and far more," Donna readily agreed. But all of this talk of marriage was making her suspicious. Maybe he was just looking for an opening to share his own news. With a heavy heart, Donna asked, "So, what about you? Do you have a wife and children at home waiting for you?"

John wrinkled his brow. "No, neither. There's never been anyone in my life who I wanted to marry. At least, not since you."

Donna laughed as she remembered their pretend wedding. "I've still got that ring you gave me somewhere. Well, my bio-whatever."

"Biodamper. I've still got mine too. I keep it on my keychain." He grinned at her, his eyes bright in the low light of the room. "I was very serious about you back then, you know. I wouldn't even look at any of the other girls in my classes because as far as I was concerned, you and I were actually married."

"I was the same," she admitted quietly. She pressed her face into his shoulder, basking in the way it felt just to be with him again. It felt like no time had passed at all, and yet, so much time had. She loved his darker, shorter, messy hair that stuck up all over, a perfect match for his eyes, and even the little age lines that gathered at the corners of his eyes and lips. He had done of lot of smiling, her Gran would have said, and Donna knew that it was true. John had always been an unreasonably happy person, even when he was doing his best to outrun his demons.

She had loved him when she was a child, and she was desperately afraid that she still loved him now. But it had been years! They didn't even properly know each other anymore. It didn't matter that being in his arms again felt like coming home to her soulmate.

"John," she said, quietly.

"Hmm?"

"I want to get to know you again. I don't want to keep missing you." She tried to think of how to phrase it, and found herself thankful for the darkness that would hide her blushing cheeks. "I don't want to keep wondering what if this, or what if that. Or…what if our biodampers had become real rings?"

There was a moment of silence, but then John hugged her tightly, pulling her even closer to him. "You're right. We can't go on wondering. Shall we go out for a breakfast date then? I hear Christmas leftovers are being served at the kitchen table at nine, and pyjamas are acceptable attire."

Donna laughed at his silly sense of humor. "That sounds wonderful to me."

"Yeah? Good." He chuckled. "And if that goes well, maybe we can go out on a proper date as soon as my car gets fixed."

"I can drive us, you know," Donna teased. "Why don't we do breakfast here and lunch out? That way we can get in two dates before I've got to head back home."

"Have I told you lately that you're brilliant, Donna Noble?" He kissed her cheek, his lips lingering for just a moment longer than necessary. "It's a plan."

As Donna fell asleep in her best friend's arms, warmed by his familiar touch and the kindness of his words, she realized that everything felt right with her world for the first time in years. She was in love with this man even if she wasn't ready to admit it to herself yet, and she never wanted to be separated from him for long ever again.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six months and many phone calls and dates later, Donna walked down the aisle to John, and they never looked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is still reading this, I would love to hear from you!


	11. Of Vikings and Hot Tubs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Donna are in a brand new relationship and decide to try something new for Christmas. Donna faces some of her fears. 
> 
> I wrote this one very quickly this morning and only proofread it once, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes. :)

Donna clutched the Doctor's arm as she looked around the room in awe. It was like something out of a television program. The massive entry hall was only the first part of an entire building made to look like a Viking castle. Everything was wooden and dark, with intricate carvings on the walls and only candles for light. All sorts of people, Christmas tourists like herself and the Doctor, continued to spill into the room, chattering amongst themselves as they looked around. Most of the men wore big, brown faux-fur coats, while most of the women wore brightly colored capes that looked to be straight out of Little Red Riding Hood.

“It's gorgeous,” she said to the Doctor.

“Isn't it? Just remember that this is only an interpretation. It has almost nothing in common with actual Viking civilizations or customs,” he said. “It's been over a billion years since the Vikings existed on Earth, so these people are just grasping at straws.”

“I know. You've already told me,” she reminded him. “Don't go into full-on lecture mode again, please.”

“Just didn't want you to think we're at Epcot again.” He poked her side, making her squirm. “I'll take you to see the real thing later if you want.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She elbowed him, chuckling despite herself. “Do you think we could get some of those coats? I'm getting cold.”

“Sure. Come on.” The Doctor led her to a stand by the entrance where hundreds of coats and capes hung. “They're free to borrow, so just find one in your size that you like.”

There were no heating systems in the Vikings’ day, and so the air in the castle was maintained at a freezing temperature to better mimic the climate. Never mind that it was about a billion degrees outside, with palm-like trees everywhere. Even the entrance hall, with its doors wide open, was chilly.

Donna dug through the capes until she found one in purple. It was lined with thick white faux-fur, and was surprisingly warm and comfortable on. She grinned as she turned to find the Doctor.

He had found a coat of his own, a brown one that matched his suit perfectly. Donna couldn't help but hug him as he approached her. He gladly accepted, wrapping his arms around her waist. “What's this for?”

“Dunno. You just look all snuggly and cute in that coat,” she admitted, blushing. She pulled back a bit and smiled, letting him know her intentions before she leaned up to share a chaste kiss with him. They had officially been a couple for all of three hours, and she felt incredibly shy about sharing her affection with him. They were on their first official date, and she'd just initiated their first public kiss. Not that they hadn’t always broadcasted the whole ‘we're a couple thing’ anyway, even before they had actually become one. It was still special, and it left her wanting more.

“Purple is lovely on you,” he said, and squeezed her tight before letting go. He reached for her hand, interlacing their fingers. “Are you ready for the tour?”

“I think so,” she replied.

They joined the line of people who were waiting for the big doors at the end of the hall to open, and chatted with another couple while they waited. The young men were eager to share everything they knew about Vikings, and Donna could feel the Doctor tense every time they got something wrong. Still, he behaved himself and didn't correct them, so she squeezed his hand in sympathy while she oohed and aahed at the appropriate times.

Eventually, everyone finished getting their coats on, and the tour began. The two tour guides walked them through the massive building, sharing facts and stories with the group. The Doctor even seemed to enjoy himself, though he couldn't help but whisper into Donna's ear when the guides said something completely ludicrous about the Vikings being able to make snowmen come to life.

“That's from that movie with the magical sister. What's it called? Oh, it's…” He sighed. “Well, it's not out for a few years yet, your time, anyway.”

Donna just shook her head and quietly shushed him.

Eventually, the tour ended and they were sat down to a feast. All sorts of food covered the long tables, bowls and plates overflowing and meant to be served family style. Towering Christmas trees rose up towards the ceiling, and a live band played what was supposed to be traditional Viking Christmas music.

The Doctor leaned close to her and opened her mouth, but Donna beat him to it. “I know the Vikings didn't have electronic keyboards. Thank you.”

“I wasn't going to say that,” he whined. “I was-”

“I also know that they didn't celebrate Christmas.”

“Well, they did have Yule, which is where Christmas finds its roots.” He grinned at her, obviously pleased with himself. “Anyway, I was going to tell you that they're actually playing the theme song to a television show about Vikings.”

Donna just shook her head as she began filling her plate with food. The same couple from earlier joined them at their table, and they enjoyed talking while they ate.

Eventually, it was time for bed. The thought of an overnight stay in a castle had Donna excited. She and the Doctor walked down the long hallway where the bedrooms were located, until they came to the right door. The room was dark, and she was pleased to find a light switch on one wall. She flicked it on and laughed when fake candles lit up around the room. She hadn't realized that the ones throughout the whole castle weren't real.

The room looked cozy, with a large bed covered in blankets and a fireplace along one wall. The Doctor found a switch to turn it on, and a warm fire blazed to life. “It's not real either,” he told her, and then his face lit up as he remembered something. “Oh, we’re supposed to have a hot tub in the bathroom. Let's go see!”

Donna followed him into the ensuite and gasped at how large it was. A normal looking tub, sink and toilet were enclosed in a separate glass area on the left, but to the right was a large, bubbling hot tub with steam coming off the water. The whole room was nice and warm, and she took a deep breath.

“Want to get in?” the Doctor asked, as he practically bounced on his toes.

Donna sighed. It did sound nice, but she couldn't. “I didn't bring my swim suit. I didn't expect anything like this.”

The Doctor tugged at his ear. “I didn't bring mine either. We could…”

“What?” she asked. “Wear our clothes in? But they'll never dry and we'll freeze.”

“Maybe we could take them off first,” he suggested. “It's just me and you here. It'd be nice to warm up.”

Donna's heart raced as she considered it. She wasn't quite sure if she was ready to show him her body. He was always telling her that she was beautiful, but he hadn't seen all of her. She was really nothing to look at, with her big hips and her soft, round tummy, and she would hate to disappoint him if she wasn't what he expected. Not to mention that she would be beyond humiliated. She'd been through enough of that with her previous boyfriends. If he called her a whale like more than one of them had done, she would probably die. “I- I don't want you to see me,” she said, her voice soft. “I'm not… I'm not exactly thin, and I just don't want you to be…. You might not like...”

“Donna.” He said her name so softly and gently that she could barely hear him. He reached for her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and cradling her against his chest. “It's okay if you don't want to, but please don't make your decision based on what you think I might do or say. I've told you, you're beautiful, so beautiful to me. You don't need to be worried.”

“But I'm not beautiful,” she said. “I'm really not.”

“You are though.” He smiled, and the look in his eyes was so deeply, sincerely loving, that she had to look away. “And you're precious to me, Donna. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“I know,” she admitted. He wouldn't deliberately hurt her, but if she saw disgust in his eyes… “I just don't think I can do it. I'm sorry.”

“There’s no reason to be sorry,” he said, and he pulled her into a proper hug. “Do you want to go warm up by the fire?”

“Yes, please.” She took his offered hand and let him start to lead her back into the bedroom. As she walked, a strange courage came over her. He really wouldn't hurt her, would he? He wasn't anything at all like her previous boyfriends. Surely he'd seen other less than perfect bodies in his nine hundred years. She took a deep breath and stopped walking, pulling him to a stop. “I think the hot tub might warm us up faster.”

“Yeah?” the Doctor turned to face her, grinning. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure,” she said, softly. 

They walked back into the ensuite and began getting ready. Their outer layers came off first, and Donna was surprised by how cold it was in the room despite the hot tub. She shivered as she bent to remove her shoes. The Doctor was making quick progress on his shirt, and she found herself watching as he removed it. He only smiled when he noticed her watching, and continued on, shimmying out of his t-shirt. His bare chest had a nice smattering of hair in the middle, and his stomach was perfectly flat. Even his arms and shoulders were nice. He was really quite gorgeous all over, and Donna blushed when she noticed the thin trail of hair below his belly button that disappeared into his trousers.

She found herself getting shy again, but she pushed through it and removed her trousers and underwear. Her shirt was long enough to cover her bottom and problem bits, but he could see her legs, and he seemed to like them from the way he was staring. He made quick work of taking off his own trousers and underwear, and then he was stood naked in front of her. He looked completely human, she was relieved to see, but he could be a model. Definitely not like her. She forced herself to smile at him as he moved to get into the hot tub, not wanting him to think that she didn't like what she saw. Because she definitely did. A lot.

“Ooh, it's hot,” he hissed, as he sank into the bubbling water. He grinned up at her. “Coming in?”

“I don't know..." She took a deep breath and prepared herself. In one solid move, she removed her shirt and bra and dashed into the water, sinking down low to hide herself. The water felt incredibly warm against her cold skin, and she gasped at the sensation. “Hot!” 

“I told you,” he said, and laughed.

They soaked in silence for several minutes before either of them said anything else, but then the Doctor turned towards Donna. “Doing okay?”

“Yeah. My muscles are still a bit sore from that trip to the Arhos Galaxy’s Largest Mall, so it feels really nice.”

“Good.” He found her hand under the water. “I just want you to know that I did see you. And Donna Noble, don't you ever try to tell me that you're not beautiful ever again. I won't hear it because I know better. You are gorgeous.”

Donna blushed, trying to fight tears. She could hear the honesty in his tone and see it in his eyes, and as much as she wanted to deny it, she knew that he really believed it. No man had ever told her that before. Even the nice ones had suggested losing a few pounds. Unable to form words, she just squeezed his hand. She knew she wasn't considered beautiful on Earth, but maybe, just maybe, she could accept that she really was beautiful to this sweet alien man. 

Eventually, she managed to let him know that she felt the same about him, and they enjoyed soaking and talking together for the better part of an hour.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As she crawled into bed next to the Doctor, Donna smiled. She'd had the best day ever, even if she was freezing cold from leaving the hot tub behind. She buried herself under the layers of blankets, shivering. The Doctor wrapped her in his arms, and she wrapped her arms around his middle. She was so cold that even he felt warm. It took a while for the chill to leave her, but eventually she felt warm and sleepy.

“Good night, my love,” the Doctor said, softly, as he kissed the top of her head. "Happy Christmas."

“G’night,” she managed to murmur, before she fell asleep.


	12. Beautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor comforts Donna after she is upset by her mother on Christmas. Yet another pre-established relationship fic!

The Doctor sipped his tea, enjoying the warmth from the fire the TARDIS had prepared for them in the fireplace. They’d just got back from Donna’s family’s house for Christmas, and he was ready to relax for a while. He looked down at his arm, inspecting the new wristwatch that Wilf had given him. He smiled at the blue police box that was painted in the middle of the face. It was a bit useless for a Time Lord, really, but he appreciated it all the same, and Wilf had been thrilled to give it to him. It'd make a nice accessory anyway, just like his glasses.

He was still studying the watch when Donna joined him in the library. He greeted her with a smile and patted the seat beside him, but instead of joining him on the sofa, she sat down on the loveseat across from him. She dropped her own still-wrapped gift on the floor by her feet and crossed her arms. It only took him a moment to realize that her shoulders were shaking with silent tears. His stomach dropped as he stood and crossed the room to sit beside her. “Donna, what’s wrong?”

She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. “Nothing.”

“But you’re crying.” He cupped her chin, gently lifting it so that he could see her face. Her skin was blotchy and soaked. He ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping away some of her tears. “What is it?”

“I’m fine.”

“Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him. She rested her head on his chest, folding herself into his embrace. “There we go,” he said, softly, as she wrapped an arm around his waist. He kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to breathe in her scent. “Do you miss your family already?”

“No.”

“No?” He began to stroke her hair, his fingers gently working out the tangled curls. She relaxed slightly as he worked, but he could still feel the tension in her shoulders. “Then what is it?”

She sighed and tearfully said, “Do I really look like I’ve put on weight?”

And there it was. Sylvia had busted out with that particular comment after Donna had gone for a second slice of cake. The Doctor’s eyes drifted towards Donna’s body on their own accord, examining her shape through her clothes. He should have known this was coming. It wasn’t that he minded telling her how beautiful she was - it was that she never believed him. Sometimes all it seemed to take was one nasty comment to undo everything nice he’d ever said about her. 

“I thought you weren’t going to let her bother you this time,” he reminded her. She had been talking about it for ages before they went, saying that she’d just pretend she didn’t hear anything mean her mum said.

“I know, but she's just so…” She huffed out a breath. “Frustrating.”

“She really is,” the Doctor echoed. Sylvia had Donna’s best interests at heart, but sometimes it seemed like she had a gift for saying just the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.

“But really, do I look bigger?” she persisted. “Oh, it was probably that futuristic crisp factory you took me to last month. Remember that one? All the flavors that will ever exist? I still have some of the sample bags in my cabinet. Been eating them like crazy.”

“I remember.” They’d had such a good time there! Donna had been all smiles and happy kisses. He’d planned to take her back after they ticked Hawaii off their list, but now it looked like he might have to change his plans.

“We shouldn’t have gone,” she said, softly. 

“Oh, don’t say that. It was good fun.”

“Yeah, but I completely pigged out,” she said, with a heavy sigh. “You should have stopped me. Now I need to go to Planet of the Personal Trainers.”

He frowned. “There is no such planet, sorry.”

“Why are you avoiding the question?” she asked, suddenly.

“What?”

“Just answer.”

“Donna.”

“Go on then. Tell me straight.” She looked up and met his eyes, hers still teary and dull as she awaited his answer.

He looked at her for a long moment, studying her freckled skin and her curvy body as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. How could anyone look at her and not think she was gorgeous? “You are the most beautiful woman in the universe,” he said, softly, when he had gathered his thoughts. “I love everything about you, from your brilliant mind to the freckles on your toes.” 

She rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his arm. “Oh, stop with the rubbish and just answer the question.”

He hesitated for a moment, knowing that she was already starting to shut his words out, throwing them away even as she held her mum’s words close to her heart. He wanted to tell her something he’d never properly said before, but what if she didn’t let herself hear him? He took a deep breath, curling his fingers into her hair. “I mean it, Donna. When I think of the perfect body, I think of yours,” he began, slowly. 

“That’s-”

“And I’m not just saying that out of some sense of duty because you’re my wife,” he interrupted. He knew how easily she could write his words off, and so he wanted to cover all of his bases. “Honestly, truthfully, I think your body is perfect. You’re so nice to hug and kiss and cuddle, and you’re all soft and warm and ginger. You think those are bad things, I know, but I think they’re brilliant. And beautiful. And you, Donna. Oh, Donna, you’re gorgeous.” 

He clamped his lips shut to stop himself from babbling, but it was tempting to keep going with as many different words to describe her beauty as he knew. He opened his mouth again only long enough to say the words “beautiful beloved” in Gallifreyan, and then he went quiet and waited for her to say something, anything to set his nerves at ease.

She was quiet, too, for a long moment, but then she nodded. “So I have gained weight? But it’s okay?” There was a strange gleam in her eye, and he wasn’t sure if she was upset or not.

“You don’t look like you’ve gained any weight to me, but I don’t go around weighing you in my head,” he tried to explain. “Honestly, I don’t. My people just aren’t wired that way. I’ve told you about regeneration, right?” he prompted, knowing good and well that he had.

“Yeah.”

“So what do you think happens when the introverted, thin woman you’re married to suddenly turns into a chubby bearded man with a tendency towards extroversion?”

“Divorce?” Donna offered, weakly.

He shook his head. “Not very often. For the most part, nothing happens. We go on loving and cherishing. Sure, we may find one body more aesthetically pleasing than the next, and regeneration always takes time to get used to, but we’re genetically hardwired to love the person more than the appearance - the inner, deep person, that is, not the silly other bits that are always in flux.” He paused and met Donna’s eyes. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I don’t know. Sort of.” She sniffled. “So it really doesn’t matter to you at all? Y-you didn’t mean all of that other stuff, then? About my body being…”

The Doctor’s shoulders slumped at the hurt in her voice. Either this was harder to explain that he’d thought, or else Donna was absolutely determined not to believe him. “I did mean it when I said you have the perfect body,” he insisted after a moment. “Look, all I can tell you is what I know, and I know that I could stare at your body forever and never get tired of looking. I honestly don’t care if you’ve gained weight or lost weight, you’re beautiful.”

“Really?” she asked, softly.

“Really.”

She closed her eyes, her breath catching her in throat. Her lips moved for a moment, forming silent words, before she managed to push out a few audible ones. “Thank you.”

He smiled in relief and bent to kiss her forehead gently, before moving to press a quick kiss to her lips. “There’s nothing about you that I would change.”

“You too, you know,” she said, her voice low. Her skin was tinged with pink, making her many freckles stand out. “I feel like I’m always saying you’re too skinny or too whatever, but you’ve never said anything mean about my body. And you’re not too skinny, you know. You’re absolutely gorgeous, and you need to hear it from me more often. I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven, always.” He kissed her again, longer this time, savoring the feel of her warm lips against his. “And thank you.”

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too.”

She sighed and rested her head on his chest. “I just wish Christmas wasn’t over yet.”

“Why’s that?”

She shrugged. “I guess I spent most of our time at home thinking about what my mum said, and she kind of ruined it for me.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, softly. 

“I just wish she would let me be, you know?”

“Me too.” He sighed. “Well, I have an idea if you don’t want Christmas to end,” he said.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“We would go get changed into our pyjamas, make some popcorn, and watch Christmas movies together. You can even have first pick. How does that sound?” He smiled at her.

Donna hugged him tight as love for him filled her. “It sounds wonderful. Thank you, for everything.”


	13. The City of Noel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Donna take a romantic carriage ride.

The Doctor was all smiles as he held out his hand to help Donna into the old fashioned wooden carriage. She smiled back at him and kept hold of his hand as they maneuvered their way onto the padded bench seat together. Warm blankets were provided, and they wasted no time in covering themselves up. The air was cool, and yet the Doctor felt warm with Donna pressed against his side. 

The driver passed them their complimentary hot coffees before he hopped up into his own seat and snapped the reigns. They were off with a lurch, the big brown horse clip-clopping his way down the old cobblestone street.

“Whoa,” Donna whispered, and leaned heavily against him. “It's bumpier than I expected.”

The Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist. “Don't worry, I've got you.”

“Thanks,” she whispered.

They rode in near silence, taking in the views as they went along. In the city of Noel, on the planet Earth-M, Christmas was a very big deal indeed. Nearly all of the houses in the whole town were covered in lights and decorations, and residents and visitors alike toured the city in horse-drawn carriages.

“Is that Santa a hologram?” Donna asked, pointing to the display in front of little brick house on the right. A blue see-through Santa Claus walked back and forth across the yard, waving to each carriage as they passed.

“Yup,” he replied, cheerfully popping the p.

“Oh, that's so cool!” She dug out her mobile and began taking photos. “Gramps will get a big kick out of this!”

“Just wait until we get to the wealthy part of town. You'll see things you could never imagine,” he said, and was rewarded with a look of sheer delight on her face.

He had been to Noel plenty of times before, and so the fun for him was mostly in savoring the chance to hold Donna close without protest, and watching as she reacted to the extravagant homes and decorations around them. Her face was so expressive that he could tell which decorations were her favorites just by watching her. He loved being able to look at her uninterrupted like this, without her noticing and telling him off. She was lovely, with her ginger hair in its natural curls and her cheeks and nose tinged pink from the cold. She wore a white fluffy jumper that suited her perfectly. Warm affection for her filled his hearts, and he was unable to resist hugging her as they rode along.

She leaned further into his one-armed embrace, glancing over at him. “This is wonderful. Thank you for suggesting it, Spaceman.”

“Of course.” He sipped on his coffee as he settled back into watching her. Donna Noble was very special indeed, and she deserved all of the good things and happiness in the universe and more. He only wished… Well, he couldn't quite let himself think it. He was already far too attached to her, and the last thing they needed were his feelings coming between their just mates agreement. He didn't think he would survive if he told her and she didn't feel the same way. And it was pretty obvious that she didn't. She would leave him for sure, and he would be lost without her. But that didn't mean that he didn't feel it, and as he sat holding her close in the back of the carriage, he felt it even more strongly.

When the ride was over, they joined everyone in the town square for music and dancing. He was quick to ask Donna to dance with him, not wanting anyone else to ask her first. He'd seen the way some of the other men were looking at her, and he wasn't going to have that. He didn't dance as a rule, but Donna was worth breaking all of the rules for.

He held her close, his hands low on her hips as they rocked side to side in time with the music. Their bodies were pressed together in an intimate way that belied their relationship, and her cheek nearly rested against his. He could feel her warm breath on his ear. “Donna,” he said softly, “are you having fun?”

“I am,” she replied. “This is like something out of a fairy-tale.”

He smiled and looked down into her eyes. “I'm glad. I want you to enjoy your time with me. It's not all bad things, right? We do have fun sometimes.”

She looked up at him, concerned. “Of course we have fun. I always enjoy my time with you, Doctor, even when things go wrong. You know that, don't you?”

He shook his head shyly. “Do you really mean that? You wouldn't rather be somewhere else, or...with someone else?”

“Doctor.” She tightened her arms around his shoulders. “I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but by your side. I told you that I'm staying with you forever, remember? You've got no reason to worry about me leaving. What's brought this on?”

“Nothing. You just… You make my life...better. More worth it.” He swallowed thickly. “I just want to make sure that I'm doing the same for you, and that you're happy with me.”

“I am. Of course I am. Do you want to know how happy I am with you?” She stopped swaying and pulled him into a proper hug, cradling him against her. “I'm happier with you than I've ever been in my life. You've shown me that there's so much more out there. And I know that I matter to you, in a way that I didn't...before.” 

The Doctor didn't reply as he held her close, nearly overwhelmed by his emotions. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, after he had been silent for several seconds.

The Doctor snapped out of his thoughts at the concern in her voice. “Yeah, fine. I don't know what came over me just then. I'm sorry.” He shook his head and blinked. “Um… Do you want to go get some nibbles or would you rather keep dancing?”

“Nibbles sound good, but first I want to do this.” Donna leaned up on her toes and framed his face with her hands. She kissed him gently, and her lips were so, so warm against his despite the chilly weather. Her blessed human warmth. It only took him a second to respond, and then her lips seemed to match and counter his perfectly. He was nearly unable to think with his love for her flooding his systems, but then she pulled away and smiled at him. “I know a lovesick man when I see one,” she teased, and winked dramatically. 

“W-w- Wha-” he stammered, but she grabbed his hand before he could get anything coherent out, and pulled him along after her towards the buffet table. All he could do was grin as he forced his legs to move. His appetite was gone, but he was suddenly past ready to finish up their current adventure and start a new one as soon as they went back to the TARDIS.


	14. A Dance on Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basmathgirl requested a version of Human Nature/Family of Blood, so I did my best. It took me several tries to write this, and I am still not entirely happy with it. It is quite short and focuses on Donna and John's relationship rather than on the Family or anything else. I hope you like it, BMG!

As Donna smoothed her hand across John's bare chest and belly, she knew it was wrong to be touching him like she was. It was so, so wrong. But it felt so right. She gently trailed her fingers down his side, and he shivered at her touch, a low moan escaping his lips. He turned his face towards her. "Donna," he rasped, blinking sleepily up at her in the low light.

"Hmm?" She circled his navel, delighting in the smoothness of his skin, and then ran her fingers through the thin trail of hair that led even lower, hidden beneath the sheets. She followed it before changing her course at the last moment and brushing her hand over his prominent hip bone and down his thigh.

"Donna." It was more of a groan this time, and as she leaned to kiss him, he pulled her into his arms. "I need…"

"What do you need?" she whispered.

"You," he answered readily, and shifted to explore her body in return.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna felt incredibly guilty later, as she always did after they made love. She tried not to, but it was impossible when she knew that it caused him such mental anguish. In real life, where he was the Doctor, they were married in both his custom and hers. He was the love of her life, and they weren't actually doing anything wrong by continuing their sex life in this alternative version of their lives.

But that's not what sweet, innocent John Smith believed. He had been created to protect the Doctor from the Family, and along with a new identity and beliefs for himself, came a new story that Donna had to go along with. John believed that his wife had been missing for years now, likely a victim of a random kidnapping, and that Donna was merely his best friend and the woman who helped him plan and organize his lessons.

At first, Donna had tried hard to hold to the story and keep things professional between them. She'd channeled her old 'just mates' beliefs from long ago, and tried to avoid so much as brushing shoulders with him when they passed in the corridors.

Unfortunately, her body had had other ideas. She had lasted a month before her hormones got the best of her, and she practically threw herself at him as they had worked on his lesson plans in his classroom. Where she'd expected rejection, she had got quietly whispered devotions, an inexperienced man who desperately wanted to learn, and a whole load of guilt.

"She would have been thirty-five today," John said, quietly, as they sat at his small desk, grading papers. Donna knew that she was only allowed into his classroom unsupervised because the headmaster fully believed that the honorable, married John Smith wouldn't mess about with his assistant. No way!

"Your wife?" Donna sought to confirm.

"Yes," he breathed. He looked at her with those sad, deep eyes. "I wonder, how long I will go on without her? Will I still be here alone on her fortieth birthday while she is out there, wherever she is?" He wouldn't even entertain the idea that she might be dead.

Donna knew the Doctor had been married long ago to a Time Lady, and they'd had a family. She didn't know if his missing wife was based off of his actual first wife, or if she was just a figment of his imagination. Either way, she knew that she had no right or reason to be jealous. What good was jealousy over a long-dead woman or an imaginary one? All she knew for sure was that she didn't like to see the Doctor, or John, suffering.

She took his hand, massaging his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry, John," she said, offering as much comfort as she could. "Is there anything I can do that might help?"

He blushed at the gesture and shook his head. "Just...be here," he whispered. "Stay the night with me? Again?"

Donna knew exactly what he was asking in his shy way. "Of course I will," she promised, bringing his hand to her mouth to kiss it. "Always."

He nodded and cleared his throat, forcing his attention back to the schoolwork in front of them. They worked in silence for several minutes. Donna shifted on the hard wooden chair as she worked, wishing that it had a nice fluffy cushion and some lumbar support.

She must have sighed or something, because suddenly John stood up and put his hand on her upper back. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine. My back is just a bit sore," she assured him. She had been away from her old temp jobs for so long that she was no longer used to sitting hunched over at a desk for hours. She was touched by his concern though, and especially the way he could be so protective of her at times, just like the Doctor. He rubbed her back and shoulders, releasing some of the tension from her overworked muscles.

"I hope you will feel up to attending the Christmas celebration," he said, quietly, as he continued his massage. It was all he had been talking about for two weeks now. The whole school was looking forward to the festivities, and even Donna found herself looking forward to attending and dancing with John.

"I'm sure I will be," she assured him. She turned sideways in her chair so that she could face him, and was surprised at the worry she saw etched onto his features. She reached for his hand. "What's wrong?"

"I just worry about you, Donna," he said. He used his free hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear before affectionately stroking her cheek. "I think I am overworking you. Perhaps you should take rest."

Donna resisted the urge to crack a joke about him just wanting her in his bed again. Instead, she shook her head. "I'm fine, John. Really."

He nodded but still looked worried. "Would you tell me if I were pushing you too hard?"

"Do you really think you could convince me to work if I didn't want to?" She smirked at him, knowing that he was well used to her fire.

But he didn't give in like he usually did. "Just promise me," he pleaded with her. "I lo- care deeply for you, and I do not want anything bad to happen to you. Especially not at my hand."

"I promise I'll tell you," she assured him. "But there's no reason to worry. I'm perfectly healthy. Here, why don't we take a break? We can go for a walk into town if you like. Maybe we can get some Christmas decorations to put up in your classroom."

John just frowned at her. "You really shouldn't be doing as much walking as you have been lately. I know it's the fashion today, but my grandfather told me as a young boy that it's best to keep your wife quiet and at home."

Donna's heart skipped a beat and her eyes snapped to his, ignoring the ridiculous nonsense that he had just spewed as she zeroed in on one word. "Your wife?"

John stared blankly at her for a moment until it seemed to sink in, and then he covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking. "I am sorry. I do not know what I was thinking when I said that," he muttered. "Forgive me."

"Of course," she assured him. Her heart was warmed despite herself, and she was ridiculously glad to hear him call her his wife again, even if it was only a slip of the tongue. She stood to hug him, wrapping her arms around his thin shoulders. "Of course I forgive you, John."

But instead of folding himself into her embrace as he so often did, he stepped away from her. "I am sorry, Donna, but I am afraid that we have become far too close as of late. My mind and heart are straying, and I cannot allow that to happen." His voice was cold and indifferent. "Perhaps you should go back to your room now. Take rest. I will find someone else to help me finish up my work."

Donna's heart was breaking at his words. He couldn't do this! "John-"

"I am afraid that I must insist," he said, firmly. "I am a married man even though my wife is not present, and you have no business being in my classroom, let alone in my bed. Perhaps we can work together again in a few months, after we have both managed to regain control over ourselves."

Donna shook her head, trying to hold back her tears, but it was useless. She wished she could tell him that his slip of tongue was correct and she actually was his wife. She'd do anything to stop him from pushing her away, but he obviously didn't want her to stay. She let him lead her to the door. "John, please-"

"Go," he said, firmly. As soon as she was out, he closed the door behind her.

Donna knew that it wouldn't last forever, but in that moment, she had never felt more alone.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, she was awoken by a soft knock on her bedroom door. She gathered up her long, frilly nightdress and made her way to the door. She cracked it open. "Yes?"

"It is only me," John's soft voice answered. "May I come in?"

Donna didn't speak, but pulled open the door. John stepped inside, looking terribly nervous.

"I am sorry about what happened earlier," he admitted, stepping closer. One hand rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture that was so Doctor-like that it made Donna's knees tremble. "I do not want you to be angry with me. But we really cannot do this anymore."

"Do what?" she asked, watching him intently. He almost seemed to glow in the soft moonlight that filtered in through her window.

"This," John answered, and pulled her into his arms, leaning to kiss her. Donna kissed back for a moment, savoring the taste of him, but then she forced herself to pull away.

"If we can't do this, why are you kissing me?" she asked.

John didn't answer, but pulled her close to him again, his arms going around her middle. "Please," he begged, his voice husky with want, and Donna was a goner. When he tried to kiss her again, she didn't pull away.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He didn't speak to her the next day, and Donna wasn't quite sure what to think. Some part of her had expected it. The Doctor always tried to run from his problems rather than face them, and John was no different in that regard. The difference was that Donna had never been the problem before. She didn't know what to do to help fix things.

She spent that night and the next day alone in her bedroom, feigning illness when the maids showed up to clean and were surprised to find her present and alone.

On the next night, there was finally a familiar knock on her door. It was with a heavy heart that she went to answer it, knowing that she would have to turn down John's advances. She couldn't let him go on like this, feeling guilty.

But he didn't go to grab her. Instead, he sat on the foot of her bed, looking very serious. "I heard that you have been unwell. I hope that I did not cause your illness by putting undue stress on you."

Donna offered him a small smile. "I'm not ill, John. I just told the maids that so they would leave me alone. I knew you didn't want to see me, so I stayed in here and rested like you advised." She hadn't exactly rested, as it were, but she had taken some time to read and soak in the tub.

"I am very relieved to hear that," he said, with a sigh. Donna expected him to leave now that he had checked on her, but he kept talking. "Since you are well, I also want to say that I have been thinking a lot about our situation." His voice was low and soft. "And I very much want to take you to the Christmas festival."

Donna sat down beside him, feeling unsure. "What do you mean? Have you changed your mind?"

John didn't answer directly. "I called you my wife, and that has to mean something."

He seemed to be waiting for her to guess what it meant, but she didn't say anything.

"I know that we are unable to legally marry, and I believe that we have gone well beyond what is proper for a courtship already, but I want... I care for you very much, Donna, and I want to commit myself to you in some way." He played nervously with his own hands, not looking at her. "At least, until my wife comes back."

Donna reached for his hands, unable to be angry at him despite the implication in his words that she would still be second best. "You've already committed yourself to me," she said. "All of the sweet words you say, and the gentle way you touch me. I know that you love me even if you can't say it."

He didn't deny it, but he didn't agree either. "It is not enough though, is it? I wish… I wish I had never taken advantage of you." He looked ready to cry, and Donna made sure to tighten her grip on his hands so that he couldn't run away.

"You have never taken advantage of me. Not once," she assured him firmly. "I've wanted everything we've done and more. I hope you feel the same about what we've shared."

But he shook his head, not hearing her words. "I cannot keep coming to you and pushing myself onto you. We should not be engaging in these sorts of activities."

Donna snorted. "If you think about, I've been the one pushing myself on you. I love you, John. And you're not going to break me, so please stop worrying about that. I'm not exactly a delicate flower, remember."

John gave her a tiny smile and bumped her shoulder with his. "Perhaps not, but you are certainly the most beautiful flower I have ever seen."

"Prawn," she teased him. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm half asleep where I sit. Let's go to bed."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna smiled when John wrapped his arms around her, leading her in a dance around the Christmas tree as the festival began. She clung to him, her dark green dress fluttering around her ankles as they moved together. She had never danced like this to Christmas carols before and it was great fun. Some of the songs were even familiar to her, and she grinned at the small band of boys who were providing the music.

John was careful to keep a respectable distance between them, not letting his body press against hers for fear of the other people seeing. It was improper enough for them to dance together at all, as they were neither courting or married, but it was not entirely outside of the rules for decent behavior. Still, Donna could feel eyes on them as they swirled around the room, and she was sure that gossip would be spreading by tomorrow.

"We must separate soon, or there will be questions," John whispered to her. "When this song ends, I will go get us some refreshments, and then we shall go our own ways for a while. Perhaps we can dance again later."

"I wish I could hold you like this all night," she whispered back, and was met with a beaming smile.

"Oh, the night is a different story, my love," he whispered. "I intend to hold you very close indeed then."

The song began its final swell, and Donna pulled him just that much closer, her hips brushing against his as they came to a stop. "I can hardly wait," she whispered, and they shared a look as the music ended.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, the Family had other ideas, and John was soon gone. He did not get to hold Donna that night, but the Doctor was happy to do so in his place. And though Donna missed John, she was very happy to have her own husband back again, and to have no more worries of being second best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, if anyone has any prompts for a chapter that you might like to see written, please feel free to suggest them. I can't promise that I will use them, but I will definitely consider them.


	15. First Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wilf helps the Doctor prepare for Christmas.

Wilf still felt a little thrill run through him every time the Doctor showed up for a visit. The knowledge that the completely human-looking man was actually a real, live alien sparked something deep inside of him that had been present since he was a child; a sense of wonder that there was so much more out there than he could ever possibly imagine. “Hello there,” he greeted the Doctor in cheerful tones. “Have you brought my granddaughter home for a visit?”

The Doctor grinned as he offered Wilf a thermos of tea. “I have, yes. She asked me to bring you this.”

Wilf took the thermos and wrapped both hands tightly around it. “Ah, thank you. My fingers were starting to go a bit numb.”

The Doctor reached for the blanket Wilf always kept folded on the back of his chair. He spread it out on the ground and sank down onto it, tucking his long legs up underneath him as he settled in for an evening of astronomy chat. “So, what are we looking at tonight?” 

“Oh, not much, I'm afraid. It's a bit too cloudy out to see anything right now, but I'm hoping the sky will clear up before long.”

“Yeah,” the Doctor agreed. 

“That reminds me,” Wilf began, “Christmas is coming up at the end of the week. Are you ready?”

“Christmas?” the Doctor asked, wrinkling his brow.

Wilf frowned as he realized the Doctor wasn't prepared at all, and then he gasped as he realized something. “Oh, you wouldn't know, would you, son? Last time, you were busy at Donna’s wedding.” He smiled. “You're in for a real treat. Christmas is a traditional holiday on Earth. We have decorated trees, lights and songs, and we exchange gifts and eat a special meal. It's lovely, and I know that Donna claims to hate Christmas, but I also know for a fact that she'll be upset if you don't get her a gift. But don't worry, I'll help you get everything ready. You'll have a marvelous first Christmas here on Earth!”

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “Er, I'm actually quite familiar with Christmas, Wilf. I just didn't realize that it was coming up so soon. Time travel and all of that.” He shrugged. “But thank you for offering to help.”

“Right.” Wilf nodded sheepishly. “Well, I suppose Christmas must be celebrated on other planets as well.”

“Oh, yes, on plenty of them,” he said. “But not mine. I've only been acquainted with Christmas since I started spending time Earth. It's a wonderful holiday. I just love it. We didn't have anything like it back on Gallifrey.” 

“No?”

“We only had a few festivals in honor of important people and scientific advances. None of the fun you lot have here.”

“Oh, I'm sure your festivals must have been something wonderful.” Wilf couldn't even entertain the thought that an alien celebration might be boring. Still, he sensed that the Doctor didn't talk about these things often, and he didn't want to say anything that might be taken the wrong way.

The Doctor shook his head. “Maybe if you enjoy standing around, listening to twelve hours worth of speeches in honor of the person who invented food replacement cubes. And they didn't even serve nibbles. Just the cubes.” 

Wilf’s shoulders sunk. “Oh. Well, I guess not.”

“But see, Christmas is great,” the Doctor continued. “All sorts of fun things to see and do.” He tugged on his ear. “Speaking of, what kind of gifts does Donna like?”

Wilf smiled at the other man. “That's for you to decide. Get her something special.”

“Well, that narrows it down,” the Doctor said dryly. 

“Don't worry. I'm sure she'll love whatever you give her.” Wilf took a sip of his tea. “Do you decorate your ship?”

The Doctor shook his head. “Can't say that I do.”

“I bet she'd love it if you did.”

“Maybe I should give it a try,” the Doctor mused. “If you really think she'd like it.”

“I really do,” Wilf said, as a smile spread across his face. “Oh, I've got an idea. Why don't you and I go out and do a bit of shopping? The girls won't miss us or the car, and neither will the stars. I can help you find some decorations and a decent gift.”

The Doctor grinned as he stood up from the blanket. “Wilf, you're brilliant! Now I see where Donna gets it from.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna hugged her mum and grandad as she and the Doctor prepared to leave. “I'll miss you,” she said, as she stepped back and took the Doctor’s hand. Leaving always made her sad, even though she knew she could always come back.

“Ready to go?” he asked her softly.

“I am.” She squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

“Now, you've got to promise me to come back on Christmas Day,” Sylvia told the Doctor and Donna. “Both of you are welcome at the dinner table.”

“We’ll be there,” the Doctor assured her, sharing a look with Wilf. “I promise.”

With a few more goodbyes, they were out the door and on their way back to the TARDIS. The Doctor couldn't help but bounce a little as he walked, tugging on Donna's hand to hurry her up.

“What's gotten into you?” Donna asked, grinning at him. “You must have seen something really special through Gramp’s telescope tonight.”

“You'll see,” he said, as he unlocked the door and ushered her in.

Donna stepped into a winter wonderland with the Doctor close on her heels. Snow fell from the ceiling and blanketed the console room. Foliage and garland covered all of the controls, and a beautiful, silvery Christmas tree loomed over the jump seat.

“What's all of this?” Donna asked, her mouth open in amazement as music began playing softly in the background.

“Wilf and I decided to decorate the TARDIS for you,” the Doctor explained. “We only did the console room, but you and I can decorate some other rooms together later if you like. I was thinking maybe the kitchen and the library would look nice. Do you like it?”

Donna kept looking around, holding one hand out to catch a snowflake. “But… Won't it be hard to drive with all of this stuff in here?”

“It's actually just artificial snow and frost, so driving won't be a problem. It's not cold, wet or slippery, and it goes away at the touch of a button.” He paused. “Why? Don't you like it?”

“I thought you'd forgotten it was almost Christmas.”

The Doctor's grin fell. “Well… Wilf reminded me. I'm sorry. I usually just sort of land and stumble into Christmas.” His hand found its way to the back of his neck to rub. “We worked hard on this room, and I just thought you might like it. But that's okay. I'll take it all down.”

“Oh, don't you dare. I love it!” Donna turned to face him, warmth and affection in her eyes. “I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting this at all. It's beautiful.” She opened her arms for a hug. “Come here, you.”

He stepped into her embrace, letting her wrap him up in her arms. “Really? You like it? You're not just saying that?”

“I promise. It's gorgeous, like something out of a catalog.” She hugged him even tighter. “Who decided to use the sonic screwdriver for the tree topper?”

“That was me,” he admitted softly, casting a glance at the shining blue light on top of the tree.

“Very creative.” She chuckled, and the sound was warm in his ears. “Shall we bake some banana nut bread and hot cocoa? We can come back in here to enjoy them.”

“Yes, please,” he answered, and grinned in delight. “Oh, but first, I have a gift for you. Wilf said I should wait and give it to you on Christmas, but we're in a time machine, so Christmas can be anytime.”

“Oh, but I don't have your gift ready quite yet,” she said, softly.

“That's okay. I'll be happy to open it on Christmas, but would you mind…” He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped gift. “Go on.”

She shook her head fondly at him and picked it up. She carefully unwrapped it and revealed a velvet box with two small purple diamond earrings inside. She gasped. “Oh, Doctor! How did you…” Tears filled her eyes as she examined them, turning the box left and right. “Are these hers?”

“They are,” he confirmed. “Wilf told me about your Gran’s purple earrings and how she'd always promised them to you when you were a little girl. I managed to find the day that she lost them and backed up until she had them on again. I told her our story, and she was more than happy to give them to me for her little Donna. She said to tell you that she loves you, and she hopes you never lose your spark for life." Eileen had also told him that he seemed like a great match for Donna as her husband, but he didn't tell Donna that part.

Donna cried as hugged him tight, thanking him over and over again, and all of the Doctor’s worries faded away. He'd done well with Wilf’s help. “Shh, I know,” he soothed her, as his own mind drifted to a bracelet that his mum used to wear all the time. He wished that he could have just a tiny piece of her back, but he was so glad that he could this for Donna even if he couldn't do it for himself. “Here, why don't you put them on so we can see what they look like?”

She smiled at him through her tears and let go of him to do that, easily slipping the posts through her own ears. “Well?”

“Beautiful,” he replied, and smiled gently as he moved to hug her again.


	16. Comfort and Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short pre-written one for the weekend.

Donna carefully lowered herself down onto the sofa, one hand clutching the arm while the other pushed against the seat beside her. Then she leaned back, letting herself be supported by the cushions. Her whole body ached, and she had heartburn again, and if she had to pee one more time, she would probably scream. All she wanted to do was sleep, but the twins weren't having it. She grimaced as the one on the left stretched yet again, her skin rippling and pulling with the movement. The baby on the right responded by firmly kicking Donna's ribs, and she lost it as tears filled her eyes. "Doctor!" she called, hoping that he would hear her. When she heard her own voice echo a moment later, she knew that the TARDIS had played a recording for the Doctor wherever he was. She did that sometimes when she knew one of her people really needed the other, and Donna sent a silent thanks to her.

When the Doctor entered the bedroom, he noticed her discomfort right away. He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, encouraging her to lean against him. "What is it, love? Are you all right?"

"No. Yes." She shook her head. "I'm just really tired."

"Too uncomfortable to sleep?" he guessed. He cradled her face, using his thumb to wipe away her tears, and then his hand found its way to her rounded belly to rub. The twins responded to his touch, fighting for space that no longer existed inside of Donna as she neared her due date. "We'll be parents next Christmas," he reminded her, softly, as he sent telepathic waves of comfort and sleepiness to the babies.

"You'll have to be Santa," she said, and shifted to lean against him more, letting him support her exhausted body. "I just hope mum will be happy for us when they're born. She's still upset about the whole 'my husband is an alien' thing. Remember when she asked me if the twins were going to be born the normal way, or if they were going to burst out of my chest and eat me alive like that alien in that movie?" She could laugh about it now, but at the time, it had made her furious.

"I remember, love, but she's come a long way in accepting me since then, and you know she won't be able to stay upset once she sees their sweet little faces. She and Wilf will spoil them rotten. Our little tree won't keep up all of the presents they'll have." He looked at the tiny artificial tree they'd bought at the last second from Tesco, appraising its sparse, plastic branches and the haphazard handful of ornaments that adorned it. It wasn't much to look at, but he liked it.

"We'll go all out next year and get one as tall as the TARDIS."

"We'll have to shop early to do that," he said. "Hopefully we won't forget again." Donna still wasn't big on Christmas, and he'd plain forgotten, but they'd managed to get their act together before the holiday slipped by unnoticed.

"I won't be pregnant next year, so even if we do forget, we can travel back in time and get a really nice one," she assured him. That was the only reason they hadn't done it this year.

"How do you know you won't be pregnant next year?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, hoping to make her laugh.

Instead, she gently slapped his shoulder. "Oh, stop. These ones aren't even here yet and you're already talking about having more! I don't think so."

He pouted. "Why not?"

"'Cause you're not the one carrying them and it's been half past forever. Now hush and let me enjoy snuggling with you while they're asleep."

Despite her grumpy words, she was still in awe of the fact that the Doctor had gone from not wanting half-Human children at all because he would eventually lose them if they didn't have enough Time Lord genes in them to regenerate, to wanting more children with her either way, and all in the last nine months. It warmed Donna's heart, and she wanted to give him the big family that he craved and deserved. She just couldn't think about doing it again so soon. She missed going on adventures, and frankly, she had nearly forgotten what her own feet looked like.

"Oh, fine." He hugged her closer to him and smiled when she rested her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes heavy with sleep. She really was exhausted. He gently kissed her lips and brought his hand up to cradle her face again. "I love you," he whispered to her.

"I love you too." She closed her eyes only to open them a moment later, now fighting sleep. She was desperately tired, but she wanted to keep talking.

"Go ahead and sleep if you can," he encouraged. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, sending a gentle wave of comfort and love through their telepathic link. As she closed her eyes and dozed off, he kissed the top of her head, nuzzling into her hair. "Sweet dreams, Donna."


	17. The Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the first short stories I wrote after I decided to do this Christmas series.

Donna yawned as she leaned back into the Doctor's embrace, letting the warm water that surrounded them help her relax after a hard few days of negotiating with a emperor. Two nights of sleeping on the hard metal floors of the guest suite had her muscles in knots, and she could only imagine how the Doctor must feel without any padding at all to help protect his bony joints. They definitely deserved this bath together. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" she asked, softly, wanting to make sure.

"No, 'course not." He wrapped his arms around her middle, encouraging her to relax fully against him. Her head came to rest on his shoulder with a sigh, and he nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head. "I feel much better already."

"Me too." She closed her eyes for just a moment before she remembered something important. "Oh, I had a voicemail from Mum. She wants me to bake a cake for Christmas dinner, and she made sure to remind me that boxed cake is unacceptable."

The Doctor sighed, his warm breath tickling her ear. "I know this place that does a great spice cake, if you want. Definitely not boxed."

Donna couldn't help but smile at the sheer exhaustion in his voice. Normally, he'd be all over a kitchen experiment and begging her to include banana in whatever capacity she'd allow. "Oh, I don't know. She was so angry the year I did the boxed cake. Said I'd ruined Christmas. What if she finds out that I didn't actually make it?"

"The bakery is on an entirely different planet," he said. "I sincerely doubt that your mum will ever find out."

"No, but it would be too good. She might suspect something." She frowned. "I'm not… You know my cooking isn't very good."

"Donna, your cooking is delicious."

"No, it's not." She really only knew how to make things out of boxes or bags, and from a few familiar recipes. Left on her own, she was hopeless.

"Shh, none of that, love." He stroked his fingers lightly across her stomach as he spoke, gently kneading circles in her skin. It used to make her terribly self-conscious when he did that. She would tense up and instantly become aware of her every lump and bump, wondering if he was disgusted by her or criticizing her body in some way, but she'd soon accepted that he just liked touching her, and it actually felt really nice once she relaxed. "If you want, we can go on a grocery run later and get whatever you need. There's a huge supermarket chain on Glise Globe that I think you'll like. There's an adventure on every aisle, or so the slogan says."

"Mmm, maybe later," she agreed, closing her eyes again. "Much later."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, much later came all too soon, and Donna found herself pushing a shopping trolley and tiredly trotting after a reenergized Doctor as he led the search for cake ingredients.

"Flour's over there," he murmured, consulting his copy of the chocolate cake recipe they'd agreed on. "Icing too, I'm sure."

She followed him and pushed the trolley towards him so that he could toss a few things in.

"Red or green icing?" he asked her. "Or, I dunno, blue? Isn't that sort of a Christmas color too?"

"Yeah." Donna yawned and gave a half hearted shrug. "Blue would look nice with the chocolate, I suppose. And maybe we should get some white so we can try to draw snowflakes."

"Do we need candles?" He pointed to a collection of the wax decorations.

"It's a Christmas cake, Doctor."

He turned to look at her. "So no candles then?"

"No candles."

The Doctor gave the candles a longing glance before he nodded. "I suppose the chocolate chips will be down there… Ooh, do you smell that?" He hurried down the aisle, nose tipped into the air like a dog.

"What is it?" Donna set after him, willing her tired legs to carry her faster. Despite the aching in her calves, she couldn't help but smile at his antics. He could be so incredibly silly sometimes, and she loved him for it.

"Free samples, look!" He pointed and scurried over to the little kiosk where a woman was handing out miniature hamburgers on tiny buns. "Sliders!" he exclaimed, grinning happily at the worker.

The woman smiled back at him and launched into her speech. "Hello sir. Would you care to try one? There's a great sale on the seasoning mix today."

"Oh, is there?" he asked, feigning interest as he reached for one of the little burgers.

"The packets are buy one, get one free. Today only."

The Doctor took a bite and his smile grew even bigger. "Delicious. Don't you want to try one, Donna?"

Donna took the offered burger. The warm melty cheese paired just right with the well-seasoned burger. "It is good," she agreed. She knew better than to ask what kind of animal the meat was from. She'd made that mistake before and she didn't care to repeat it. Insects were a very popular choice in some places.

"Maybe we should bring these to your mum's instead of cake," the Doctor suggested. "What do you think?"

Donna elbowed him. "I think it's Christmas, not a summer barbecue. She would absolutely kill me."

"She'd have to get through me first," he assured her.

"I was just telling your husband that the seasoning mix is on sale today," the worker cheerfully told Donna, ignoring their antics in favor of trying to make a sale. It was what they paid her for, after all. "It's a great deal. Buy one, get one free."

Donna nodded casually, but inside her heart was warmed by the familiar assumption. She slipped her free arm around the Doctor's waist and gave him a little hug. It felt so good not to have to deny it anymore. He was her husband and she was his wife, and they were madly, deeply in love with each other. No more of that just mates nonsense.

The Doctor turned towards her, happily returning her hug. "Maybe we can make sliders for lunch today? What do you think, wife?"

"I think that would be fine, husband," she agreed, and he beamed at her.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luckily, the cake turned out to be a success. It was just lopsided enough to be obviously homemade, but it was perfectly moist and rich, and it tasted out of this world. Probably because the ingredients actually were.

Sylvia was full of praise for her daughter instead of the usual frustrated anger from previous years. It probably helped that Donna was now happily married and had promised Sylvia that grandchildren were on the agenda for the future. Still, Donna had the best Christmas she'd had in years, and the Doctor enjoyed himself as well.

"Happy Christmas," Donna said, as she clinked her fork against the Doctor's.

"Happy Christmas," he echoed, and they shared a smile as they each ate their last bite of cake.


	18. Santa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is based on a suggestion from TKelParis: Oh, how about using that awful ending for the 2014 Christmas special for good Doctor/Donna use? Maybe Donna wishes she could undo her no, and Santa gives her the chance?

Sleep wouldn't come for Donna Noble the night after the Doctor left. Her stomach was full from dinner, but it was unsettled, and her mind wouldn't stop replaying the day's events. She remembered waking up that morning and feeling so excited for what was supposed to be the best day of her life, and now all she could do was see Lance's face as he admitted to poisoning her and openly mocked her for being stupid enough to fall into his trap. She had loved him. _Loved him._ Wanted to marry him, make him a part of her family forever, bear his children, and grow old together. She'd never had good taste in men, but she had thought he was different. The realization of what he had done hit her all over again and she wanted to cry. She didn't, though. She had done enough of that earlier, after she had lied to her parents about what had happened out of public view. She'd told them that Lance had left her, and it was true, but it was so much worse than that.

Despite the tragedy and loss of the day, there was one bright spot. The alien man she'd met. The Doctor. She supposed she could add abducted by aliens to her journal entry for the day if she ever got around to doing it. Well, an alien. And he hadn't really abducted her, but still. She'd ended up in his spaceship, and that was close enough for her. Never mind that he looked like an ordinary human man and spoke perfect English. He even wore Converse.

He'd saved the day and rescued Donna from the giant Racnoss spider, all while acting like it was part of a normal day's work. Maybe it was for him. She'd certainly got that impression. But he had made her laugh despite everything and had offered her comfort on one of the worst days of her life.

She still wore the ring he'd put on her finger, and she played with it as she lied there, twisting it around. At least someone had given her a ring today. The look on his face when he'd slipped it onto her finger had nearly melted her heart then and there. That was how she wanted her future husband to look at her when they got married. Not with contempt or resignation to an unwanted fate, but with warmth and love reflected in kind eyes.

She'd been stupid enough to turn down his offer to go with him, but that was the theme of the day, wasn't it? Donna Noble is stupid and undesirable, so let's all point and laugh at her. How dare she think someone actually loves her and wants to marry her. Even the Doctor had said so. His voice was on repeat in her head along with Lance's, saying, "...you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important". Of course she wasn't, but she was still a person, and her heart had been ripped out and torn to shreds.

She blinked away tears, wondering how she had any left to cry by this point. She couldn't even go to her parents for support because they would never believe her. Gramps might, but he was sick and didn't need any extra stress right now. She just needed someone, anyone to listen and make things better.

How many humans get the chance to travel the universe with their own alien tour guide? It was like that book she'd read long ago. And the Doctor had said some mean things, but he'd also said nice things. He'd been funny and warm, and had shown her great kindness. The darkness in him when she'd had to stop him had scared her, but it had also made her realize that he needed someone. Why hadn't she said yes?

She rolled over, fluffing her too-warm pillow. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She needed to sleep. Sleep would help her feel better. Tomorrow would be a new day.

She had almost managed to drift off when she heard the sound of bells from outside. Curious, she crawled out of bed and looked out her bedroom window. Surely carolers weren't still out this late.

What she saw probably would have shocked her if she hadn't seen so much else already that day. "Santa Claus?" she whispered, and despite her low voice, the jolly bearded man in red turned to face her, gesturing for her to open her window.

She did so at once, not even stopping to think of the risk that he could be a thief dressed in a disguise. "Santa?" she repeated.

"Donna Noble!" His voice was exactly as she expected from Father Christmas. "What's got you so upset? I was out delivering presents when I heard your mournful call. I've got a schedule to keep, you know."

Donna looked him up and down, taking in the coat and boots as disbelief sat in. Maybe this was Nerys' trick, and she'd forgotten to cancel it. "What?"

He pulled a little book out of his pocket and flipped through it. "Oh, you only believed until you were seven, my dear. Always asked for blonde hair. I could bring you the toys and books you asked for, but hair is not my jurisdiction."

Donna self-consciously touched her hair, twirling a few strands between her fingers. She remembered that. Every year, she had asked Santa to make her blonde so the kids at school would stop calling her names. "I don't- What are you doing here?"

"Like I said, I heard your soul call out for help. I bring happiness and joy to people with my presents, and I don't like to hear of anyone being sad on Christmas. Even the oldest people were children once, and the children I care for always matter to me. So tell me, Donna. What's wrong?"

Donna took a deep breath. This was crazy, but so was everything else that had happened to her today. "I was supposed to get married today," she said, and explained what had happened. She slowed once she got to the part about the Doctor. "The man who saved me, he was… Well, he was an alien from outer space. I was in his spaceship and everything. I really want to find him because he asked me to go with him and I said no, but I should have said yes. I miss him already, and I need to find him. But how do you find an alien with a spaceship that also travels through time? He could be anywhere!"

Santa grinned at her, holding his belly as he laughed. "Ho ho ho! I know this Doctor you speak of, and I know just where to find him. Why don't you climb aboard my sleigh and I'll take you right to him?"

"Really?" Donna couldn't hold back an answering smile as hope filled her. Maybe today wasn't completely ruined. "Just give me a minute to pack some bags," she said, and disappeared back into her room.

She scrambled to pack her suitcases, wondering what she needed. They could go anywhere or anywhen. A thrill ran through her at that thought. How could she prepare for a trip without knowing the destination? She did the best she could, tossing clothes into bags. Hot weather, cold weather, no weather. Could a place have no weather? Maybe. She even included a few hats, and plenty of shoes.

That done, she dragged her bags next to the window and grinned joyfully at what she saw outside. Santa Claus sat in his sleigh, three reindeer eagerly prancing as they waited for her. Rudolph had a shiny red nose just like the movies and songs said. She tossed her bags out of the window one by one and then crawled out after them.

She made her way to the sleigh, looking at it in awe. "It's beautiful!"

"Why, thank you." Santa smiled as he stepped down to help her with her bags. Eventually, they got them all loaded up, and he offered Donna a hand to get in. She sat on the front seat, holding on as Santa got in and prepared them for flight.

The reindeer lifted the sleigh into the air with a jolt, and she held on tightly as they bounced along. The ride smoothed out as they gained altitude, and then they were sailing through the air. She couldn't help but grin as her hair fluttered behind them in the wind. She was actually flying with Santa Claus! She laughed, joyfully whooping as they soared across the nighttime sky.

They flight didn't last long, and soon they were landing in an alley in another part of London. Donna looked around, puzzled. "He's still in London?"

"Oh, yes. He loves this place," Santa explained. He slid out of the sleigh and then helped her down. "His TARDIS is just around that corner. Let's go."

Donna followed Santa, and just as he said, the Doctor's blue police box was parked next to a rubbish bin. Santa knocked on the door. It took a few minutes, but the Doctor eventually came to answer it.

He looked back and forth between them as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "Donna? Jeff?"

"Jeff?" Donna repeated, looking at Santa.

"Well, you know..." Santa said, and shrugged.

"But what are you doing here?" the Doctor asked, looking at Donna.

"I wanted to find you. I hope it's not too late to change my mind," she explained. "I'd really like to come with you. I packed my bags and everything, and Santa helped me find you."

The puzzled look on the Doctor's face faded and was soon replaced by a soft smile. "'Course it's not too late."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he confirmed. "Welcome aboard."

Donna laughed and flung herself at him for a hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He pulled her against him, his arms around her waist as he held her. "Thank you," she said, softly, and he hugged her even tighter.

When they broke apart, she turned to thank Santa for his help, but he wasn't there anymore. She hurried back around the corner to find his sleigh gone without so much as a sound. Her bags sat in a pile where it used to be, with two tangerines placed on top.

The Doctor came to stand beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. "He does that. Thinks everyone likes tangerines."

"But I wanted to thank him," she said, softly.

"He knows," the Doctor assured her. "Believe me, he knows. Now, let's get your bags inside before it rains."

Donna watched the Doctor for a long moment as as he began picking up her bags. She didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow, but her future suddenly felt bright with endless possibilities. She knew she was going to have a wonderful life with this alien man. With one last glance at the sky above, she moved to help him with her things.


	19. Blessing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is based on a suggestion from Ray_Writes: And maybe, instead of something big and extravagant and commercial, the Doctor takes her to some place (be it past or future) where they celebrate Christmas (or some sort of solstice festival if they haven't adopted Christmas as a holiday) in a really simplistic, meaningful way.
> 
> I'm not sure if what I wrote is anything like what you had in mind or not, so there may be another fic based on this prompt coming along in the future if you want me to try again. :)

Donna looked around with interest as she followed the Doctor down a dirt road that passed through the middle of a small, primitive village. Wood and canvas stalls were set up on either side of the road, and the bright green people inside of them were selling wares and food.

"The people here celebrate by giving special blessings to the men and women," the Doctor explained as they walked hand-in-hand. "They believe Christmas is about new life and building big families. It's been that way for hundreds of years here after war devastated the planet. Repopulation has been slow despite their efforts, but eventually they will spread across the universe."

Donna nodded as she took it all in. This was a far cry from the way people celebrated Christmas in her time, but it sounded interesting. The village was small but they held a ceremony each year, during which the village elder blessed the people of the town.

They joined the small group of people who were waiting for the ceremony to start. A circle had been made in the red dirt, with two wooden thrones in the middle and a hut off to one side. Lush forests surrounded the village, and the trees provided a dark purple background for the ceremony. The crowd was mostly made up of locals, but a quick glance around proved that there were a handful of other visitors present.

The sky was fading into darkness as the ceremony finally began. The elder walked out of the hut first. He was an intimidating humanoid man with dark green skin, large gills on his cheeks, and webbed fingers. He took one chair, and then his wife joined him in the other chair. She was obviously with child, her middle straining the simple brown dress that she wore.

"It is with great pride that I welcome you to our annual Christmas fertility festival," the elder said, and waved his hands around in a clearly deliberate way. He looked terribly old, with wrinkly skin and a hunched over back.

"Fertility festival?" Donna asked under her breath.

The Doctor leaned to whisper in her ear. "Like I said, they want to rebuild their civilization, so they've twisted Christmas to fit their needs. A bit like your lot, really. Did you know that Christmas originated from pagan winter solstice festivals-"

Donna tuned out the oncoming ramble and focused on the elder, not wanting to miss anything. He now had one of his webbed hands on his wife's bulging middle. "Cerah is carrying my twentieth child. No other man on Sertfe is so blessed. This is because I am the supreme male, and I bestow my blessing upon you all today. Our population has grown by one hundred this year. We must do better in the coming year. If you are of age but have not yet taken a husband or wife, you must be ashamed. You may not attend the feast, but must go home and hide your face."

"But harsh, isn't he?" Donna whispered.

"Yeah, but that's just how it works here."

"I bless each of you in attendance with fertile loins and pregnant bellies. Blessed are our children, for they are the future. We must never forget what happened yesterday even as we build tomorrow." He stood from the throne and slowly walked around the circle. He placed his thumb on each person's forehead in turn and murmured something.

When he got to her, Donna wasn't sure what to do. She smiled nervously at the elder.

"What a lovely pink couple," the elder said. "How many children do you have?"

"No, we- We aren't- We don't-" Donna stammered at the unexpected question.

"You don't have any children? Why, I bless you doubly my dear. May your womb soon overflow with children to please your husband."

"But-"

The Doctor put his hand on her lower back, so she didn't say anything else as the elder placed his thumb on her forehead and chanted unfamiliar words. She sighed when he moved on to the Doctor, relieved to be out of the spotlight.

"May you soon be blessed with a round wife and a large family to call your own." The elder placed his thumb on the Doctor's forehead and chanted, and then he moved on to the next person.

Donna whispered in the Doctor's ear. "Why did you stop me from telling him we're not a couple?"

"Because he would never understand us being the age we are, er, appear to be, and not married. Outsiders are rarely welcome here and the only ones who risk the long trek are those who are as desperate for children as the locals are."

Donna looked around at the crowd with renewed interest. Now that she was looking, she could see that the other outsiders were paired off in twos, and looked dirty, ragged and tired. They must have hiked miles just to get here.

"The blessing - does it really work?" she asked, feeling sad for the people all around her.

"They say it does."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "My womb is going to overflow with children?"

He shrugged, one hand going to the back of his neck to rub. "Well, I didn't say it was a sure thing. It's obviously not in our case. Now, are you ready for lunch? They serve this stuff called seetr at the feast. It's like pasta, and I think you'll love it. It's meant to be an aphrodisiac, but we're obviously safe from all of that nonsense as well."

"Sure," she said with a shrug, and reached for his hand.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nine months later, Donna was rapidly approaching her due date with triplets. "I'm pretty sure my womb is overflowing now," she said, miserably, as she lied in bed next to the Doctor, one hand rubbing her enormous middle. "My bladder definitely is."

"Let me help you up, my lovely round wife," he joked, as he moved to do just that.

Turns out, both the blessing and the aphrodisiac were very real and very effective.


	20. One Last Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on a suggestion from Basmathgirl: The outfit Donna would choose to "surprise" the Doctor on Christmas morning with (okay, I admit it, my mind went straight to black stockings, high heels, and a short Santa costume).
> 
> I hope you don't mind that I changed it from morning to night! :)

The Doctor sighed as he closed the picture book and tucked it under his arm. The boys were fast asleep in their beds, exhausted from the buildup to Christmas and a day spent playing with new toys and visiting Sylvia and Wilf.

He pressed a kiss to James’ cheek, and then to Alan’s, whispering wishes for sweet dreams to each of them. He cast one more glance around their bedroom, and then sat the book down and turned off the light.

As he walked down the corridor to the bedroom that he shared with Donna, he yawned, feeling pretty tired himself. It had been a long day, and he would be lying if he said their three year old twins weren't handfuls even on less exciting days. He stepped inside the bedroom and was surprised to find the bed empty.

“Donna?” he called.

“I'm in the ensuite,” she called back. “Don't come in!”

He frowned at the note of annoyance in her voice. “Is everything okay in there?”

“Fine. I'll be out in a minute, just as soon as I'm ready.” There was a heavy sigh. “Hang on. How many buttons...”

Curious, he went to the bathroom door and pressed his ear against the thin wood. More breathy grunts and the rustling of fabric. He was just about to open the door, when the handle turned and the door opened just a crack.

“Back up,” Donna hissed through the crack. “Go sit on the bed.”

“What are you-”

“Go!”

“Okay, okay.” He turned and obediently sat on the foot of the bed, wondering what in the world was wrong. “Donna? What's going on?”

“Are you ready for your extra special Christmas present, Spaceman?” she asked, in a low, husky voice.

What kind of present was she hiding in the bathroom? “Um…” He shrugged despite knowing that she couldn't see him. “Sure, okay.”

The door opened more and Donna stepped out, revealing herself in a very, very skimpy Santa costume. The red and white dress barely skimmed the top of her thighs, while the bodice strained to contain her full breasts. Her long legs were covered by sheer black thigh-high stockings, and when she took a step towards him, he noticed the black high heels that gave a few extra inches of height.

She walked to him slowly, her hips swaying in the most alluring way. He found himself unable to even blink as she stopped in front of him. His lips suddenly felt dry, and his tongue darted out to lick them.

“Do you like what you see?” Donna asked, and despite the sultry tone to her voice, he heard the slight waver of nervousness beneath it.

They usually didn't do things like this. Donna trusted him enough to show him her body without the shyness and shame that she had suffered at the beginning of their relationship, but she had admitted that she thought lingerie never quite fit her right. He could see no such problems with her Santa costume, unless you counted her barely-contained, heaving chest.

“Doctor?” Now the sultry tone was gone. 

He really needed to say something, but he was pretty sure he would drool if he opened his mouth. He reached for her instead, drawing her down to straddle his lap. It was quickly revealed to him that she wasn't wearing knickers, and his breath hitched. “D-Donna,” he stammered, as he stared openly, his hands resting on her full hips.

“I'll take that as a yes,” she murmured, and leaned forward so that her breasts pressed against his chest. “Have you been a good boy this year, Doctor?”

He swallowed thickly. “I think you'd better answer that.”

She gently tipped his chin up so he would look at her face. “I think you've been a very good boy.” She pressed a hot kiss to his lips, sucking gently on his bottom lip before she pulled away to smile at him. She shifted on his lap, and he let out an involuntary groan as a bolt of pure pleasure shot through him. “Perhaps you'd like to get out of that suit?” she suggested.

“Mmm,” he agreed, but he frowned when she moved to slide off of him. He wanted to pull her back and hold her close, but then he saw how flushed her skin was, and how her pupils were dilated, and he suddenly didn't want to drag it out anymore. He stood and began removing his clothes with Donna’s help. Why did he wear so many layers again?

“And I thought this costume had a lot of buttons,” Donna teased, as she worked on his Oxford shirt.

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, as he slid out of his trousers and then his boxers. He removed his t-shirt and undershirt together in one quick movement, and then he grabbed hold of Donna, pulling her down onto the bed with him in a fit of giggles.

“Eager, aren't you?” she said, as she curled against his side.

“Well, it would be awfully rude of me not to unwrap my special present promptly, don't you think?” He winked as he shifted to touch her again, his hearts pounding in his chest. This was definitely the best Christmas present that he'd ever received, and he was going to savor every moment.


	21. A Love/Hate Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on a suggestion from Ray_Writes: Why Donna hates Christmas. 
> 
> This version is about my tenth attempt at trying write something for that prompt, but I'm still not entirely happy with it.

"Do we have to go?" Donna asked, the first sleepy words out of her mouth on Christmas morning. She rolled over and curled against him, one hand coming to rest on his hip. Her skin was pleasantly warm from being bundled under the covers all night long, and she let out a pitiful little whimper that evolved into a yawn.

The Doctor wrapped his arms around her middle and nuzzled into her hair, happily accepting her unspoken request to cuddle. "Merry Christmas to you, too."

"Yeah, yeah, merry Christmas." She sighed. "But, seriously, do we have to go?"

They had been invited to spend Christmas with her family as usual, and she didn't want to go. She had been trying to find an excuse to skip it for the past week at least.

"Your mum will never forgive us if we don't," he reminded her. Sylvia had said so herself.

"Is that really so bad?"

He considered it. "Maybe not for us, but your Gramps will be disappointed if she never lets us step foot in her house again."

"He can always come visit us here."

"Donna."

"What?"

"Now you're just being silly."

"I'm not." She sighed and turned her face towards his, her eyes bright in the pale light the TARDIS produced to wake them. "I just really don't want to go. You know I hate Christmas. Why can't we skip over it altogether? We could go straight to, I don't know, Easter."

"You know, you've never told me why you hate Christmas so much." He honestly didn't understand it. Christmas was just about the best holiday ever, in his opinion. There was so much fun to be had, in so many places and times, and in so many ways.

"I just hate it," she said. "Do you have to have a reason to hate something?"

"Well… I'm going to go with yes." He kissed her forehead. "C'mon, tell me."

She sighed. "It's not just one thing. It's a load of things."

"We've got all the time in the universe," he coaxed.

"Fine." She buried her face in his chest and huffed. "I've never really liked Christmas, not even when I was child and believed in Santa. Mum was always stressed by trying to shop and cook, and she wanted me to stay out of her way. I had to quickly open my presents in the morning and put them away so she could start getting ready for dinner. She'd invite everyone over and send me to my room so I wouldn't get in the way while they visited, and I couldn't come down until dinner was on the table. Gramps tried to talk some sense into her, but she told him off too. And then I'd go to school and hear about all of the fun my classmates had had, and it just made me feel awful."

"I'm so sorry," the Doctor said, as he gently stroked her back. He knew that he couldn't go back and change things for her, but sometimes he really wished that he could. His Donna didn't deserve anything bad that had ever happened to her.

"Oh, and then my very first boyfriend when I was a teenager decided that Christmas was the perfect day to cheat on me, and then that was all I could think about for years when December came around. Him and that other girl. I wanted to get married on Christmas to try to make at least one good memory, but then Lance, well, you know."

"Mm," he agreed, softly.

"But it's all just a load of commercialized rubbish anyway, isn't it? It's all shop, shop, shop, and people getting angry because you didn't get them exactly what they wanted, and worrying that someone got you something better than what you got them. What's the point of it all? It's just a waste of time and money. No one actually likes those bits, do they?" She sighed. "And Mum still doesn't like me coming around and trying to help with the cooking. She'd probably still send me to my room if she could. And you know how she is. She'll be all over us about grandkids and what we're doing with our lives. Not to mention the diet police bit she always does."

The Doctor hugged her closer as an idea came to him. "Come on. We're going to go your mum's and get through it, and then we are going to go do something fun for Christmas. You're going to have a happy Christmas this year."

Donna shook her head. "No, really. You don't have to do that. I just want the day to be over."

He reluctantly pulled himself away from her and sat up. "Come on, trust me. I know just where to take you."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the end of the night, Donna had been wined, dined, and danced with to her heart's content. She'd seen the Great Christmas Trees of Vaash, and heard the highest rated performance of the Jingle Bells and Lights Chorus from two hundred years in the future. She'd even roasted chestnuts on an open fire, and made snow angels in the sandy snow of Hooler Holiday Beach.

"So, what do you think about Christmas now?" the Doctor asked, as they snuggled into bed that night.

"Still hate it," she admitted with a sigh, and his face instantly fell, his bottom lip dramatically sticking out. "Oh, don't pout. I had a lot of fun today with you, Doctor, and while I'll probably never like Christmas, I want you to know that I…" She took a deep breath. "I- I love you."

They had been in a proper relationship for a while now, but neither of them had said those precious words yet. She'd realized, as they had danced around the ballroom, that he would do anything to give her a moment of happiness and joy, even if it was something that he didn't enjoy. He listened to her and really heard her, and he made her feel so loved and wanted. She didn't know why she hadn't said it sooner. She was planning to spend forever with him, after all.

"Love you too," he murmured, and hugged her tight. "So much."


	22. Sylvia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is an AU set after Journey's End/The End of Time. The Doctor didn't regenerate, and Donna didn't marry Shaun. Instead, the Doctor is choosing to live as a human to be with Donna.

The Doctor could hardly believe that he was working together with Sylvia Noble, and she was being downright pleasant to him. Maybe not exactly warm and friendly, but definitely pleasant. They chatted lightly while they decorated the Christmas tree, talking about this and that as they arranged ornaments and tied on bows.

Sometimes he could hardly believe that domestic life was so easy and comfortable with Donna. He felt more at home with her than he had ever felt before. She may not remember the years when they had traveled through space and time together, but she was still just as vital to him as she had ever been. More so even, as his wife and life partner.

He had been pretending to be human for almost a year now, and he had never once regretted his decision. He would do anything to be close to Donna and have her in his life. He'd even found a way to make himself appear to age so that she wouldn't grow suspicious in a few years. Sometimes guilt niggled in the back of his mind; all of his lies and what he had taken away from her rising up to haunt him, but he pushed them away. He was terribly good at that.

“Do you think Donna will like it?” he asked, as he placed the last ornament high up on the tree and then stepped back, surveying their work.

“I think she'll love it,” Sylvia said. She turned to face him, her expression serious in the low glow from the lights on the tree. “I just want you to know that I'm happy for you and Donna. I never thought I would say this, but you're a good man, and a good husband. I see how happy you make her, and the way you take care of her. I know you've been through a lot, but I can see the love you both share. I know I don't say it very often, but I appreciate you, John - Doctor, and I'm glad you're my son-in-law.”

The Doctor thought his chin would hit the floor. “W-what?” he stammered, his eyes wide with shock.

“Oh, close your mouth. I wouldn't have said anything if I'd known you would-”

She gasped as the Doctor suddenly swooped her up into a hug, twirling her around the small living room. “I love you too, Sylvia,” he enthused, grinning like a loon.

“Put me down this instant,” she hissed, and he did, setting her carefully on her feet.

“What did I miss?” Donna asked, as she appeared from behind them. She looked a mess with her hair unbrushed and her nose all red, her mouth slightly open so that she could breathe. She walked across the room to him, reaching up to feel his forehead. “Are you feeling ill, John? I hope I haven't given you this cold.”

“I’m fine,” he assured her, as he gently pulled her into a hug, feeling sparks of her discomfort at the contact. “Sylvia and I just had a nice chat, that's all. How are you feeling?”

She shook her head, huffing a breath. “Tired and sore.”

“I'm sorry,” he murmured. He had hoped she would have been able to get some rest while they decorated. She had been sick for a full week, and he wished that he could take her into the TARDIS for a quick treatment to get rid of it. Unfortunately, there was no way to do that without her noticing, and so she had to suffer through it. Good thing Sylvia had offered to help decorate.

“Not your fault.” She let go of him to turn to the Christmas tree, looking it up and down. “It's lovely. You've done a great job, both of you.”

“We saved you the best part,” he said, and nodded for Sylvia to hand Donna the star.

Donna smiled warmly as she stretched up and placed it on top of the Christmas tree, plugging it into the string of lights. It lit up a brilliant TARDIS blue, making the look complete.

“Beautiful,” the Doctor whispered, but he wasn't looking at the tree.

Donna blushed when she noticed where his eyes were. “Oh, stop. I'm all sweaty and disgusting.”

“You're not disgusting. Never.” He wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her against him. “How would you feel about a some chamomile tea and a back massage? Maybe it will help you fall asleep.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Sylvia joked, and they all shared a laugh.

“It does,” Donna agreed, smiling. “I love you, John.”

“I love you too. Now, let's go put you to bed.”


	23. Christmas Biscuits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place in the same setting/universe as the last fic, but takes place a few years later. An AU set after Journey's End/The End of Time. The Doctor didn't regenerate, and Donna didn't marry Shaun. Instead, the Doctor is choosing to live as a human to be with Donna.

Donna blinked away the haunting image of the police box as she drove, wishing that she could erase it from her mind as easily as she had binned the calendar that Francine had given her. It was nice, with all of its pictures from London's past and present, but the front cover had given her chills. So much for Secret Santa being any fun this year. Her head was pounding and she felt nauseous, and she just wanted to lie down and have a good cuddle with her husband. Was that too much to ask?

She pulled up in front of the house and took a moment to calm down. She wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks before she walked to the door. John knew how she suffered, but she didn't like their twin sons seeing her like this.

She could hear the three of them talking in the kitchen as soon as she walked inside. The Christmas tree in the corner of the living room was brightly lit and shining, not washed out even under the bright ceiling lights. They had all decorated it together yesterday, and she smiled to see a few wrapped gifts placed underneath.

Unfortunately, her smile didn't last long. She walked into the kitchen and gasped at what she saw. It was a disaster zone! John, James, and Alan were covered from head to toe in flour. Spilled sugar and broken eggs littered the floor. Alan had smears of something blue across his face, and James' mouth and chin were covered in chocolate. The table and counters were covered with bowls and measuring cups, and a mountain of dirty dishes filled the sink.

Donna couldn't help but cover her mouth as her tears started flowing in earnest. She'd only just cleaned the kitchen this morning. "What are you doing? Don't you know how much work this will be to clean up? Why- Why would you do this to me?"

"Mummy, we made Christmas biscuits," Alan said, pointing to the oven.

"For you," James added. His bottom lip trembled as tears filled his big brown eyes.

"You made a huge mess!" If she was shouting, well, she couldn't help it. "I just wanted to come home and go to bed, and now… I can't even get two seconds of rest with you lot. Why can't I ever come home to a nice, clean house? Don't you know how hard I work? Don't you even care?" Her head pounded with each word, and she grimaced with the pain. She massaged her temples with her thumbs, hoping for some relief. Bloody calendar.

"Donna," John said, as he reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Don't." She stepped back, not wanting him to get flour on her new red top. "Were you even watching them at all, or did you let them run wild in here while you did your work?" John taught university maths and physics classes online so that he could stay home with the twins. Unfortunately, there was so much going on inside his big brain that sometimes he got distracted.

"Donna, they're only four. Of course I helped." He ran a hand through his hair and anxiously tugged at a few strands, leaving a grey-looking streak behind. "We wanted to surprise you with the biscuits. We didn't expect you to come home early, so I thought we'd have plenty of time to clean everything up."

"Oh," she said, softly, as realization began to sink in. She was home awfully early. Maybe they hadn't planned on leaving it a mess. Her shoulders sank. "You- You're right. I'm..." She shook her head and turned to James and Alan. "I'm so sorry for shouting, boys. I had a bad day at work, but that's not your fault. I'm sure the Christmas biscuits will be delicious." She gave them each careful hugs. "I love you."

John caught her eye. "Why don't you go lie down, and I'll get everything cleaned up. The kitchen will be spotless again before you know it!"

Donna nodded and dragged herself to bed, feeling like a horrible person. Why had she shouted like that? They were only young children. They didn't deserve that kind of treatment. If only she didn't feel so awful all of the time. She used to be a happier person before her car accident. All she'd done in the six years since was cry and mope around, suffer with migraines and wonder about the missing years of her life. She still didn't know what John saw in her. He was such a wonderful, brilliant man. He could have anyone he wanted, and yet he'd chosen her and given her two wonderful children.

She had only just drifted off to sleep when he slipped into bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, waking her. She shifted, opening her eyes halfway. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Shh. Everything is okay, love." He kissed the top of her head. "James and Alan are down for their naps, and I got everything all cleaned up. The biscuits will be there whenever you get ready to have some."

"Thanks, but I really shouldn't have acted like that. I'm so ashamed." Her eyes welled again, and she let out a frustrated sigh.

John stroked her side. "I could tell you were just barely holding it together as soon as you came in the kitchen. Another migraine?"

"Yeah. It seemed to be triggered by this calendar my friend gave me. There was a photo of an old police box on the front cover, and it was like a lightning bolt flashed through my head."

"Oh." John stiffened against her for a second before he relaxed again. "That's odd. Anyway, I know it's hard to be patient when you don't feel well. I think maybe the boys are old enough now for us to have a little chat with them about your health. In simple terms, of course."

Donna nodded and shifted to rest her head on the crook of his shoulder. "You're probably right. It's not an excuse for my behavior though."

John wisely didn't respond to that. "Well, no matter what, just remember that our boys love you, and so do I. Nothing you can do or say will ever change that."

Donna sniffled as more tears poured from her eyes. God, she loved this man. "I love you too, John. So much."

He took her hand, entwining their fingers. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"Just this. Just be here," she whispered.

"I can do that," he said, softly, and nestled closer against her. "Good night, Donna. I hope you'll feel better when you wake."


	24. Need Somebody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This human AU is an alternate version of chapter 5, where Donna was ill on Christmas and John took care of her. In this one, it's John who is sick and Donna who is taking care of him. I wrote both of them at the same time and decided to post the other one, but then I thought why not share both?

John sat down on the sofa with a sigh. His sinus headache was getting worse by the minute despite the tablets he'd taken, and his nose felt so raw from being blown that he was sure it was bright red. He cast a forlorn glance at the unlit Christmas tree in the corner. He was supposed to be at his best friend, Donna’s house right now, enjoying a freshly cooked Christmas meal with her and her family. Instead, he was here all alone, shivering and aching, barely able to keep his body upright. It really wasn't fair, but he was too exhausted to care. He closed his eyes and slumped over. Soon, he fell into a fitful half-sleep.

When the doorbell rang and woke him, he groaned. Who was it now? Getting to his feet was harder than it should have been, and his legs felt shaky as he crossed the room. He pulled open the door with a resigned sigh and came face to face with Donna Noble. She was wearing a Christmas jumper and had a bag tucked under one arm. He did his best to smile at her. “What are you doing here?” he asked. She was supposed to be celebrating with her family.

“Oh, John, you look awful,” she said, as she stepped inside. “Just awful.”

“Thanks,” he sarcastically remarked.

She pressed her hand to his forehead and cheeks. Her skin felt felt blessedly warm against his. “You're burning up, you poor thing. Go sit down.”

“M’fine,” he murmured. He was too cold to be burning up.

“No you're not.” She took him by the arm and shepherded him back to the sofa, settling him amongst the pillows. “You sounded terrible on the phone, so I wanted to come over and check on you. Mum didn't much appreciate me leaving the table early, but I knew you needed looking after. Looks like I was right.”

“I can take care of myself.” He didn't mean to sound so grouchy, but she was supposed to be with her family, not stuck with him. He didn't want to mess up her plans. Besides, he was an adult and fully capable of caring for himself.

“When is the last time you ate?” Donna demanded.

His usually sharp mind felt dull as he tried to think back. “Um…” He remembered eating a banana at some point. But when? “Yesterday, I think,” he guessed. He had no appetite when he was sick, so it didn't really matter.

“Right.” Donna shook her head. “You stay right there. I'll be back.”

John watched her through bleary eyes as she marched into his kitchen. She returned a minute later with a tall glass of iced water and pressed it into his hands.

“Drink that please.”

She left him alone on the sofa only to disappear again. He sipped at the water and was surprised to find that he was thirsty. He drank down the whole glass and sighed at the relief it brought to his parched throat. But Donna was still gone, so he stood to go look for her.

He found her in the kitchen, waiting for the microwave to stop. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“I told you to stay in there,” she said, shaking her head. “Anyway, I'm warming you up some of your Christmas dinner. I brought some of our turkey and some sides, and a piece of cake. It'll do you good to eat.”

“I'm not hungry,” he said, softly. “You don't have to do that.”

“Oh, John.” Donna left her work to approach him. She wrapped her hand around his upper arm and gently led him to the kitchen table. “I want to do this for you. Now sit down and relax. You leave the rest to me.”

He did as she said, slumping over to rest his head on his arms. He must have fallen asleep again, because the next thing he knew, Donna was stroking his back and there was a steaming plate of food in front of him. 

“There he is,” Donna teased as he squinted up at her. “Your dinner is ready.”

He forced himself to sit up and inspect the dish. He had to admit that it looked pretty tasty, and if he took a deep enough breath, he could almost get a hint of the smell. Suddenly, his stomach growled, and he pressed a hand to his middle.

Donna laughed. “I think someone’s hungrier than he wants to admit. Go on now, it's good.”

John took a small bite of turkey and was surprised at the flavors that burst through despite his stuffy nose. “It is good,” he agreed.

After he had polished off that plate and half of a second, Donna took him by the hand and led him towards his bedroom. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“You need to change into some pyjamas. You can't be comfortable in that suit.”

John looked down at his pinstripes. He was feeling a bit constricted, but he just wanted to go back to sleep. “I'm fine,” he insisted.

Donna squeezed his hand. “I know you are, but you're changing anyway.” 

When they entered his bedroom, she let go of his hand so that she could dig through his drawers. She pulled out his favorite pyjamas with the stars on them and sat them on his bed. “Now, do you think you can manage a quick shower? I wasn't going to say anything, but you're smelling a bit ripe.”

John grumbled under his breath. His weighed a tonne, but he didn't want her to be put off by his smell. He had only been trying to gain her affections for the better part of a year now. So he agreed to a shower.

He had to admit that the hot water felt good to his sore skin, and the steam helped clear his stuffy nose. Even his headache had lessened by the time he stepped out and put on his pyjamas.

“Thanks, Donna,” he said when he found her sitting on his bed. He even managed a proper smile at her. “I feel loads better now.”

“You're welcome. Now come here and lie down.” She patted the bed beside her.

“Don't you need to get back to your family?” he asked, even as he sat beside her and reached for her hand. “I don't want you to miss Christmas.”

“Oh, I had more than my fill of Christmas cheer with my family, believe me. I wanted to bring some to you.” She smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze. “I was actually planning on staying the night here to keep an eye on you, if that's all right with you. I brought along a change of clothes.”

His heart skipped a beat. “Of course, yes, that's fine with me,” he readily agreed, grinning. “Best Christmas gift I've ever received.”

Donna chuckled. “I'm glad to hear that. Now lie down and get comfortable. I'm going to go get changed.”

John just barely managed to keep his eyes open after he lied down and she left the room. He wanted to wish her a happy Christmas and thank her for caring about him and making him feel loved, but all he could do was murmur incoherently when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug and whispered something that he couldn't quite make out. He drifted off surrounded by her warmth and steeped in her comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: Tomorrow will bring the final chapter of this series. It's going to be one more story sat in the ficverse (thanks again for that word, TKelParis!) from chapters 22 and 23 because several people asked for more.


	25. Christmas Has Come Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final short story in this series. It's also the final part of the ficverse from chapters 22 and 23. Thanks to TKelParis for the idea about Handy.

The Doctor was asleep and dreaming when a weight settled on his chest and little hands tugged at his hair. He stirred and blinked sleepily at his three year old daughter. "What're you doing?" he rasped.

"It's Christmas!" Emily shouted in his ear. "Get up!"

He winced, turning away from from the sound. "Okay, okay," he said, and shifted to sit up. He looked to the right and was surprised to find the space next to him empty. "Where's Mummy?"

"I'm right here," Donna answered, as she appeared in the open door frame. James and Alan hovered behind her, peeking in at him. "I told them to leave you alone since you were actually sleeping for once, but she wasn't having it."

"Oh, that's okay. I slept plenty," he said, and swung his feet out of bed. "Ready for breakfast?" he teased Emily.

"No! We have to open our presents first!" she shouted.

"Yeah," Alan echoed, grinning.

"Oh, right. Suppose we should do that. We wouldn't want Santa to get cross with us if we ignore his gifts, after all." He stood up, stretched, and followed his wife and children out into the living room. They gathered around the Christmas tree.

Donna wrapped an arm around his waist as they sat on the sofa and watched their children gleefully start to unwrap their gifts from Santa Claus. They shared a few soft smiles as they watched. "This almost feels like my very first Christmas," Donna said, just loud enough for him to hear. "Now that I have my memories back, something seems different."

It had happened one day the week before. She had woken up from a fitful night of sleep and realized that she remembered everything from the missing years of her life. The metacrisis was safely gone, and she was made whole and safe again. Just like that.

"I'm still just so glad to have you back properly," he whispered, and looped his arm around her in return, pulling her against him for a hug. She went willingly, curling up against him with her head on his shoulder. There had been a rough few hours as they had talked everything out and made sure that she was really okay, and then that they were okay as a couple, but in the end, they still loved each other and their family, and Donna had decided that there was no point in being angry at the Doctor. He had done the only thing he could do in an impossible situation, and he had given up so much to be with her. He would forever be grateful to her for forgiving him.

"We really do need to talk to them about all of this," Donna said, nodding at Emily and the boys. "How are we even going to tell them that they're part alien? They'll think we've gone round the bend." They had discussed it almost every night since she had remembered, talking about how to best introduce their kids to the universe. Unfortunately, they had found no easy answers.

"Quick trip in the TARDIS after Christmas dinner?" he suggested, softly, raising his brow in jest.

"Really?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Well… They can't deny it if they can see it. Plus, they know my brother travels a lot, so maybe it won't be such a shock to them if he's there to help explain."

When the twins were just wee babies, the man who had been created from his hand, and who he now called his twin brother, had found a way back into the proper universe, and they had reconciled. They were lucky to have Uncle Handy in their life. He was the one traveling and minding the universe while the Doctor went full domestic with Donna.

"You know, I think that's a good idea," Donna said. "Oh, I can't wait to see the old girl again. I wonder if my bedroom still looks the same. You saved it didn't you?"

"Oh, I suppose finding out can be one last Christmas gift for you," the Doctor teased, hugging her tighter. "'Course I saved it."

"Speaking of gifts… There's a special one for you that's not under the tree," she said, softly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I've got it right here in my pocket." She used her free hand to reach into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Here, open it."

The Doctor let go of her and did as she said, carefully tearing open the little white envelope. A sheet of paper fell out, and a quick glance revealed it to be blood test results. He scanned it quickly, curious. When he realized what it was, he gasped. "Oh, Donna!"

Donna smiled softly at him. "I thought I was a bit old now, but I guess not. Are you happy?"

"I'm going to be a father again? Of course I'm happy!" He only just managed to lower his voice as turned in his seat and pulled her into a tight hug, the paper falling to the floor in his haste. "Oh, and that's got to be our answer! Brilliant!" He pulled away to look at her, fighting to keep his voice low. "Our children have each absorbed a bit of regeneration energy when they reached the third week of gestation, I knew that, but now it must have finally been all been used up. It's brilliant, Donna! You're brilliant! Our baby is brilliant!"

Of course all three of the kids noticed his excitement, and soon everyone was sharing in the joy of expecting a new family member.

"Maybe this news is enough for now?" Donna asked, quietly, once the kids were occupied again. "Tomorrow might be better for the other bit."

He nodded. "You're probably right."

"And this might be a silly question, but how would you feel about keeping up the aging thing? Might freak out the kids a bit if you come in here looking ten years younger. Plus, you know, I've kind of grown fond of your laugh lines." She ducked her head shyly as she reached up to stroke his face, tenderly brushing her thumb against the corner of his left eye.

The Doctor smiled at her as he reached up to cradle her hand in his. "Anything for you, Donna." He really didn't mind his aging appearance so much anyway. He wanted them to look like a proper family even when Donna was ninety years old, and even his brother was using the technology so as to not confuse anyone who saw them together.

"Merry Christmas, Spaceman," she said, softly, before leaning to give him a kiss.

"Merry Christmas, Donna." He took her hand and led her over to the kids who were busy opening boxes and putting toys together. As they sat down on the floor and joined the excitement, he knew life would only get better from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my little series! All of the reviews I've gotten have made me feel so very happy, and each and every one is very much appreciated. I didn't expect such a great response to this series, so it always felt like a great surprise each time I got a review. The support and kindness I got from you all was wonderful, and that was the only thing that enabled me to write these fics so quickly. Thank you!
> 
> BMG, I hope you enjoyed your fic! Merry Christmas to you! :D
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! Thank you again! *big hugs for every single person who read, reviewed, left kudos, suggested a story, and/or sent me a nice message*


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